Prediction of Useful Life of Rolling Contact Bearings Using Monte Carlo Simulation Technique

Antifriction bearings are the most critical components of mechanical systems. Unpredicted failures of these components incur huge production losses along with undue downtime of the machinery. In context to this, the present paper deals with the prediction of useful life of antifriction bearings using the Monte Carlo Simulation method. The study was carried out on 6,205 deep grove ball bearings. The geometric factors and the stresses influencing the life of these bearing were selected using random number generator. Prediction based on these inputs was modeled using a MATLAB code followed by statistical analysis of the data. The useful life of the bearings, in terms of cycles to failure, was determined. The failure probability corresponding to the L 10, L 50 and L 90 life of the bearing was investigated. The method utilized and the model developed is very simple and can be efficiently used by practicing engineers for the life predictions of the antifriction bearings.