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At least 307 records · Page 17

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NASA NTRS2014

The Effect of Indenter Ball Radius on the Static Load Capacity of the Superelastic 60NiTi for Rolling Element Bearings

Static load capacity is a critical design parameter for rolling element bearings used in space mechanisms because of the potential for Brinell (surface dent) damage due to shock and vibration loading events during rocket launch. Brinell damage to bearing raceways can lead to torque variations (noise) and reduced bearing life. The growing use of ceramic rolling elements with high stiffness in hybrid bearings exacerbates the situation. A new family of hard yet resilient materials based upon nickel-titanium is emerging to address such bearing challenges. 60NiTi is a superelastic material that simultaneously exhibits high hardness and a relatively low elastic modulus (approx. 100 GPa) and has been shown to endure higher indentation loads than conventional and high performance steel. Indentation load capacity has been reported for relatively large (12.7 mm diameter) ceramic (Si3N4) indenter balls pressed against flat plates of 60NiTi. In order to develop damage load threshold criteria applicable to a wide range of bearing designs and sizes, the effects of indenter ball radius and the accuracy of interpolation of the Hertz contact stress relations for 60NiTi must be ascertained. In this paper, results of indentation tests involving ceramic balls ranging from 6.4 to 12.7 mm in diameter and highly polished 60NiTi flat plates are presented. When the resulting dent depth data for all the indenter ball sizes are normalized using the Hertz equations, the data (dent depth versus stress) are comparable. Thus when designing bearings made from 60NiTi, the Hertz stress relations can be applied with relative confidence over a range of rolling element sizes and internal geometries.

bearings↗

NASA NTRS2014

The Effect of Indenter Ball Radius on the Static Load Capacity of the Superelastic 60NiTi for Rolling Element Bearings

Static load capacity is a critical design parameter for rolling element bearings used in space mechanisms because of the potential for Brinell (surface dent) damage due to shock and vibration loading events during rocket launch. Brinell damage to bearing raceways can lead to torque variations (noise) and reduced bearing life. The growing use of ceramic rolling elements with high stiffness in hybrid bearings exacerbates the situation. A new family of hard yet resilient materials based upon nickel-titanium is emerging to address such bearing challenges. 60NiTi is a superelastic material that simultaneously exhibits high hardness and a relatively low elastic modulus (~100GPa) and has been shown to endure higher indentation loads than conventional and high performance steel. Indentation load capacity has been reported for relatively large (12.7mm diameter) ceramic (Si3N4) indenter balls pressed against flat plates of 60NiTi. In order to develop damage load threshold criteria applicable to a wide range of bearing designs and sizes, the effects of indenter ball radius and the accuracy of interpolation of the Hertz contact stress relations for 60NiTi must be ascertained. In this paper, results of indentation tests involving ceramic balls ranging from 6.4 to 12.7mm in diameter and highly polished 60NiTi flat plates are presented. When the resulting dent depth data for all the indenter ball sizes are normalized using the Hertz equations, the data (dent depth vs. stress) are comparable. Thus when designing bearings made from 60NiTi, the Hertz stress relations can be applied with relative confidence over a range of rolling element sizes and internal geometries.

bearings↗

NASA NTRS2014

The Effect of Indenter Ball Radius on the Static Load Capacity of the Superelastic 60NiTi for Rolling Element Bearings

Static load capacity is a critical design parameter for rolling element bearings used in space mechanisms because of the potential for Brinell (surface dent) damage due to shock and vibration loading events during rocket launch. Brinell damage to bearing raceways can lead to torque variations (noise) and reduced bearing life. The growing use of ceramic rolling elements with high stiffness in hybrid bearings exacerbates the situation. A new family of hard yet resilient materials based upon nickel-titanium is emerging to address such bearing challenges. 60NiTi is a superelastic material that simultaneously exhibits high hardness and a relatively low elastic modulus (approx. 100 GigaPascals) and has been shown to endure higher indentation loads than conventional and high performance steel. Indentation load capacity has been reported for relatively large (12.7 millimeters diameter) ceramic (Si3N4) indenter balls pressed against flat plates of 60NiTi. In order to develop damage load threshold criteria applicable to a wide range of bearing designs and sizes, the effects of indenter ball radius and the accuracy of interpolation of the Hertz contact stress relations for 60NiTi must be ascertained. In this paper, results of indentation tests involving ceramic balls ranging from 6.4 to 12.7 mm in diameter and highly polished 60NiTi flat plates are presented. When the resulting dent depth data for all the indenter ball sizes are normalized using the Hertz equations, the data (dent depth versus stress) are comparable. Thus when designing bearings made from 60NiTi, the Hertz stress relations can be applied with relative confidence over a range of rolling element sizes and internal geometries.

materials↗

NASA NTRS2015

Effect of Roller Geometry on Roller Bearing Load-Life Relation

Cylindrical roller bearings typically employ roller profile modification to equalize load distribution, minimize stress concentration at roller ends and allow for a small amount of misalignment. The 1947 Lundberg-Palmgren analysis reported an inverse fourth power relation between load and life for roller bearings with line contact. In 1952, Lundberg and Palmgren changed their load-life exponent to 10/3 for roller bearings, assuming mixed line and point contact. The effect of roller-crown profile was reanalyzed in this paper to determine the actual load-life relation for modified roller profiles. For uncrowned rollers (line contact), the load-life exponent is p = 4, in agreement with the 1947 Lundberg-Palmgren value but crowning reduces the value of the exponent, p. The lives of modern roller bearings made from vacuum-processed steels significantly exceed those predicted by the Lundberg-Palmgren theory. The Zaretsky rolling-element bearing life model of 1996 produces a load-life exponent of p = 5 for flat rollers, which is more consistent with test data. For the Zaretsky model with fully crowned rollers p = 4.3. For an aerospace profile and chamfered rollers, p = 4.6. Using the 1952 Lundberg-Palmgren value p = 10/3, the value incorporated in ANSI/ABMA and ISO bearing standards, can create significant life calculation errors for roller bearings.

Roller bearing↗

NASA NTRS2016

Failure Analysis and Recovery of a 50mm Highly Elastic Intermetallic NiTi Ball Bearing for an ISS Application

The ISS Distillation Assembly centrifuge is the pathfinder application for 50mm bore, deep-groove ball bearings made from the highly elastic intermetallic material 60NiTi. Superior corrosion and shock resistance are required to withstand the acidic wastewater exposure and heavy spacecraft launch related loads that challenge conventional steel bearings. During early ground testing one bearing unexpectedly and catastrophically failed after operating for only 200 hours of run time. A second bearing running on the same shaft was completely unaffected. A thorough investigation into the root cause of the failure determined that an excessively tight press-fit of the bearing outer race coupled with NiTis relatively low elastic modulus were key contributing factors. The proposed failure mode was successfully duplicated by experiment. To further corroborate the root cause theory, a successful bearing life test using improved installation practices (selective fitting) was conducted. The results show that NiTi bearings are suitable for space applications provided that care is taken to accommodate their unique material characteristics.

intermetallics↗

NASA NTRS2016

Failure Analysis and Recovery of a 50 MM Highly Elastic Intermetallic NiTi Ball Bearing for an ISS Application

failure analyses↗

DOE OSTI2021

Low friction bio-inspired polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene coating performance in hydrodynamic bearings

Purpose Low friction polymer coatings able to withstand high loadings and many years of continuous operation are difficult to formulate at low cost, but could find many applications in industry. This study aims to analyze and compare friction and wear performance of novel polydopamine/polytetrafluoroethylene (PDA/PTFE) and traditional tin Babbitt coatings applied to an industrial journal bearing. Design/methodology/approach This paper tested PTFE based coating, co-deposited with PDA, a biopolymer allowing sea mussels to adhere to ocean rocks. This coating was deposited on flat steel substrates and on a curved cast iron hydrodynamic journal bearing surface. The flat substrates were analyzed with a tribometer and an optical microscope, while the coated bearing liners were tested in an industrial laboratory setting at different speeds and different radial loads. Findings PDA/PTFE coating showed 2-3 times lower friction compared to traditional tin Babbitt for flat substrates, but higher friction in the bearing liners. PDA/PTFE also showed considerable wear through coating delamination and abrasion in the bearing liners. Research limitations/implications Five future modifications to mitigate coating flaws are provided, which include modifications to coating thickness and its surface finish. Originality/value While the novel coating showed excellent results on flat substrates, coating performance in a large scale bearing was found to be poor. This study shows that coating preparation needs to be improved to avoid frictional losses and unwanted damage to bearings. We provide several routes that could improve coating performance in industrial applications.

Engineering↗

DOE OSTI2023

Gear Test Assembly - Experimental Testing and Analysis of Gears and Bearings - FY2023

The Gear Test Assembly (GTA) is an experimental test apparatus built and installed in the Mechanisms Engineering Test Loop (METL) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The focus of GTA has been to test larger radial spur gears sets machined from Inconel 718 along with a variety of bearing components that are to be used in the fuel handling machines built for use in pool-type sodium fast reactors. The testing in GTA also informs the design and material choices for the full-scale Gripper Test Assembly (GrTA) being developed by Argonne. To date, the Inconel 718 gears used in all six GTA experimental campaigns have completed over 23.2 million revolutions under various loads equivalent to approximately 37,156 simulated fuel assembly maneuvers (removal from and reinsertion to core) using a conventional height of a core assembly. While the heat treated and untreated tapered roller bearings and cylindrical pin thrust bearings used in the first five experimental campaigns have experienced mechanical or material failure after completing a range of fuel assembly maneuvers ranging from as early as 575 operations in Campaign #5 to 9800 operations in Campaign #1, Campaign #6 was the most successful campaign, achieving 22,563 maneuvers and was concluded before any catastrophic failure occurred. In this report we will present the results from the most recent campaigns, #5 and #6. The longevity of Campaign #6 was likely aided by a variety of adjustments made to the materials and components used and to the experimental testing procedures employed. In terms of materials and components, new gearboxes were fabricated, as opposed to using the old gear boxes which had been impacted by the previous bearing failures, and ball bearings were replaced with tapered roller bearings. The adjustments to the experimental procedure focused on a lowering of the maximum torque applied to the gears and bearings and the increase of the duration of each simulated fuel assembly maneuver conducted. This report will present and discuss the changes made to the materials, components, and procedures and the subsequent results for Campaign #5 and Campaign #6.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗

NASA NTRS1972

Ball bearing protector

Mechanical device for reducing the stresses imposed on ball bearings when bearings are exposed to forces caused by vibration is described. Bearing protector is press fitted on rotor shaft and slip fitted into bearing housing. Bearing stop which contacts inner race stops shaft and bearing when moving along shaft axis and removes load from ball bearings.

Burns, R. A.↗

NASA NTRS1972

Dynamic behavior of air lubricated pivoted-pad journal-bearing, rotor system. 2: Pivot consideration and pad mass

Rotor bearing dynamic tests were conducted with tilting-pad journal bearings having three different pad masses and two different pivot geometries. The rotor was vertically mounted and supported by two three-pad tilting-pad gas journal bearings and a simple externally pressurized thrust bearing. The bearing pads were 5.1 cm (2.02 in.) in diameter and 2.8 cm (1.5 in.) long. The length to diameter ratio was 0.75. One pad was mounted on a flexible diaphragm. The bearing supply pressure ranged from 0 to 690 kilonewtons per square meter (0 to 100 psig), and speeds ranged to 38,500 rpm. Heavy mass pad tilting-pad assemblies produced three rotor-bearing resonances above the first two rotor critical speeds. Lower supply pressure eliminated the resonances. The resonances were oriented primarily in the direction normal to the diaphragm.

Nemeth, Z. N.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Parametric study of the lubrication of thrust loaded 120-mm bore ball bearings to 3 million DN

A parametric study was performed with 120-mm bore angular-contact ball bearings under varying thrust loads, bearing and lubricant temperatures, and cooling and lubricant flow rates. Contact angles were nominally 20 and 24 deg with bearing speeds to 3 million DN. Endurance tests were run at 3 million DN and a temperature of 492 K (425 F) with 10 bearings having a nominal 24 deg contact angle at a thrust load of 22241 N (5000 lb). Bearing operating temperature, differences in temperatures between the inner and outer races, and bearing power consumption can be tuned to any desirable operating requirement by varying 4 parameters. These parameters are outer-race cooling, inner-race cooling, lubricant flow to the inner race, and oil inlet temperature. Preliminary endurance tests at 3 million DN and 492 K (425 F) indicate that long term bearing operation can be achieved with a high degree of reliability.

Signer, H.↗

NASA NTRS1973

Design, fabrication, and performance of foil journal bearing for the brayton rotating unit

Foil bearings were designed and manufactured to replace pivoted-shoe journal bearings in an existing Brayton Cycle turbo-alternator-compressor. The design of this unconventional rotor support was accomplished within the constraints and space limitations imposed by the present machine, and the substitution of foil bearings was effected without changes or modification other machine components. A housing and a test rig were constructed to incorporate the new foil-bearing support into a unified assemble with an air-driven rotor and the gimbal-mounted thrust bearing, seals, and shrouds of an actual Brayton Rotating Unit. The foil bearing required no external pressure source, and stable self-acting rotation was achieved at all speeds up to 43,200 rpm. Excellent wipe-wear characteristics of the foil bearing permitted well over 1000 start-stop cycles with no deterioriation of performance in the entire speed range.

Licht, L.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Optimization of self-acting herringbone-grooved journal bearings for maximum stability

Groove parameters were determined to maximize the stability of herringbone-grooved journal bearings. Parameters optimized were groove depth, width, length, and angle. Optimization was performed by using a small-eccentricity, infinite-groove analysis in conjunction with a previously developed Newton-Raphson procedure for bearings with the smooth member rotating or with the grooved member rotating at low compressibility numbers, and a newly developed vector technique for bearings with the grooved member rotating at high compressibility numbers. The design curves in this report enable one to choose the optimum bearing for a wide range of operating conditions. Compared with bearings optimized to maximize load capacity, bearings optimized for stability allow a thousandfold increase in bearing-supported mass in some cases before onset of instability, and lose no more than 77 percent of their load capacity in any case studied. Stability is much greater when the grooved member rotates.

Fleming, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1974

Optimization of self-acting herringbone journal bearings for maximum stability

Groove parameters were determined to maximize the stability of herringbone grooved journal bearings. Parameters optimized were groove depth, width, length, and angle. Optimization was performed using a small eccentricity, infinite groove analysis in conjunction with: (1) a previously developed Newton-Raphson procedure for bearings with the smooth member rotating or with the grooved member rotating at low compressibility numbers; (2) a newly-developed vector technique for bearings with the grooved member rotating at high compressibility numbers. The design curves in this report enable one to choose the optimum bearing for a wide range of operating conditions. These include: (1) compressibility numbers from 0 to 80; (2) length to diameter ratios from 1/4 to 2; and (3) smooth or grooved member rotating. Compared to bearings optimized to maximize load capacity, bearings optimized for stability allow a thousandfold increase in bearing-supported mass in some cases before onset of instability. Stability is much greater when the grooved member rotates.

Fleming, D. P.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Experimental performance of 75-millimeter-bore arched outer-race ball bearings to 2.1 million DN

An experimental investigation was performed to determine the operating characteristics of arched outer-race bearings and to compare the data with those for a similar, but conventional, deep-groove ball bearing. The bearings were tested over a range of shaft speeds up to 28,000 rpm at a thrust load of 2200 newtons (500 lb). One bearing was operated at 26,000 rpm with a range of thrust loads. The amounts of arching were 0.13, 0.25, and 0.51 millimeter (0.005, 0.010, and 0.020 in.). All bearings operated satisfactorily; the arched bearing outer-race temperatures and torques were consistently higher than those for the conventional bearing.

Coe, H. H.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Endurance and failure characteristic of main-shaft jet engine bearing at 3 million DN

Groups of thirty 120-mm bore angular-contact ball bearings were endurance tested at a speed of 12,000 and 25,000 rpm (1.44 million and 3.0 million DN, where DN is the product of the bearing bore in mm and the shaft speed in rpm) and a thrust load of 66,721 N. The bearings were manufactured from a single heat of VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel. At 1.44 million and 3.0 million DN, 84,483 and 74,800 bearing test hours were accumulated, respectively. Test results were compared with similar bearings made from CVM AISI M-50 steel run under the same conditions. Bearing lives at speeds of 3 million DN with the VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel were nearly equivalent to those obtained at lower speeds. A combined processing and material life factor of 44 was found for VIM-VAR AISI M-50 steel. Continuous running after a spall has occurred at 3.0 million DN can result in a destructive fracture of the bearing inner race.

Bamberger, E. N.↗

NASA NTRS1976

Journal bearing impedance descriptions for rotordynamic applications

The paper deals with the development of analytic descriptions for plain circumferentially-symmetric fluid journal bearings, which are suitable for use in rotor dynamic analysis. The bearing impedance vector is introduced, which defines the bearing reaction force components as a function of the bearing motion. Impedances are derived directly for the Ocvirk (short) and Sommerfeld (long) bearings, and the relationships between the impedance vector and the more familiar mobility vector are developed and used to derive analytic impedance for finite-length bearings. The static correctness of the finite-length cavitating impedance is verified. Analytic stiffness and damping coefficient definitions are derived in terms of an impedance vector for small motion around an equilibrium position and demonstrated for the finite-length cavitating impedance. Nonlinear transient rotordynamic simulations are presented for the short pi and 2-pi impedances and the finite-length cavitating impedance. It is shown that finite-length impedance yields more accurate results for substantially less computer time than the short-bearing numerical-pressure-integration approach.

Childs, D.↗

NASA NTRS1979

Evaluation of SSME high pressure liquid oxygen turbopump bearings

Examination of the bearings produced conclusive evidence that a very high axial load was applied to bearing 8517903 during a significant portion of the service time. The high loads caused serious ball and race wear and surface fatigue pitting. In all likelihood, continued operation of this bearing with the high axial load would have caused increasing deterioration and catastrophic failure. In contrast, bearing 8517900 showed much less deterioration and probably had experienced only the axial loads deliberately applied by the preload spring. Bearing 8517900 represents the best-case operation with the loads controlled to the levels intended in the design. Fatigue life calculations on bearing 8517903 with an axial load of 27,000 N showed the intolerance of the bearing to such load levels.

Dufrane, K. F.↗