Elastohydrodynamic lubrication analysis of tapered roller bearing considering effect of free ends

The EHL model of tapered roller bearing considering free ends is established and the effect of force on the large end is also considered. The free ends are constructed through the overlapping method, and the distribution of pressure and film thickness are obtained with the unified Reynolds equation. The effect of force and distance between two neighboring free ends are investigated, based on which the proper contact case is selected. The EHL of tapered roller bearing with different fillets and Lundberg profile are discussed. The results show the length and radius of roller fillet and the modification of Lundberg profile roller should be carefully selected to improve lubrication performance with low pressure, large minimal film thickness and low stress concentration.