Design of groove structures for bearing lubrication enhancement based on the flow mechanism analysis

Abstract In high speed rotation, the strong airflow inside ball bearing cavity has become a key factor which seriously affects bearing lubrication performance. By adding groove structures to the non-contact area of bearing inner ring surface, a guiding method for lubrication enhancement was proposed. Via simulating an oil droplet flowing on the grooved surface, the guiding mechanism for groove structure was analyzed, and the capillary force played an important role during the guiding process. The influence of groove structure parameter and bearing motions on guiding performance were all discussed, the groove structure was designed and experimentally verified. Compared with the general bearing, grooved bearing has a lower temperature rise, which indicates the effect of groove structure on bearing lubrication enhancement.