Verification of functional prototypes of bearings in experimental equipment ability to simulate real operation

Abstract

The reliability and service life of dynamically stressed machine components are most often determined by the time of operation and the probability of achieving it. With the trend of increasing the power of machinery and the goal of minimizing the dimensions, the density of transmitted power increases, and thus the demands on the bearing capacity and service life increase significantly. One of the ways to increase the reliability of bearings, to reduce the risk of their sudden failure, in addition to their monitoring, is the use of so-called self-balancing bearings. The article deals with the experimental verification of the functionality of a newly developed self-equalizing bearing and its ability to operate in real conditions. Three types of experimental devices were used during testing while the temperature of tilting segments, the uniformity of temperatures around the perimeter, force distribution, and deflection were monitored. The results showed that the tested prototypes of bearings have met all requirements based on which the newly developed bearings have been successfully implemented in real practice. © 2022 American Institute of Physics Inc.. All rights reserved.