Investigation on the minimum axial force to avoid sliding for high-speed ball bearings

The centrifugal force and gyroscopic moment of angular-contact ball bearings are very large under high-speed conditions, which make the balls slide and severe wear. In this paper, the mechanics model for high speed ball bearings is set up with consideration of the radial load, axial load, centrifugal force and gyroscopic moment. The friction coefficients between balls and raceways and the minimum axial force to avoid sliding could be obtained by employing tractive force model and preventing sliding criterion. The results show that the friction coefficients vary within a certain range, and the minimum preloads should be heavier with the increase of rotational speeds and radial loads.