Arched-outer-race ball-bearing analysis considering centrifugal forces

A first-order thrust load analysis that considers centrifugal forces but which neglects gyroscopics, elastohydrodynamics, and thermal effects was performed. The analysis was applied to a 150-mm-bore angular-contact ball bearing. Fatigue life, contact loads, and contact angles are shown for conventional and arched bearings. The results indicate that an arched bearing is highly desirable for high-speed applications. In particular, at an applied load of 4448 n (1000 lb) and a DN value of 3 million (20,000 rpm) the arched bearing shows an improvement in life of 306 percent over that of a conventional bearing.