9

Statically Indeterminate
ShaftBearing Systems
LIST OF SYMBOLS
Symbol Description Units
a Distance to load point from right-hand bearing mm (in.)
A Distance between raceway groove curvature centers mm (in.)
D Rolling element diameter mm (in.)
d
m
Pitch diameter mm (in.)
D
o
Outside diameter of shaft mm (in.)
D
i
Inside diameter of shaft mm (in.)
E Modulus of elasticity MPa (psi)
F Bearing radial load N (lb)
f r/D
I Section moment of inertia mm
4
(in.
4
)
K Loaddeflection constant N/mm
x
(lb/in.
x
)
l Distance between bearing centers mm (in.)
M Bearing moment load N mm (in. lb)
P Applied load at a N (lb)
Q Rolling element load N (lb)
< Radius from bearing centerline to raceway groove center mm (in.)
T Applied moment load at a N mm (in. lb)
w Load per unit length N/mm (lb/in.)
x Distance along the shaft mm (in.)
y Deflection in the y direction mm (in.)
z Deflection in the z direction mm (in.)
a8 Free contact angle rad, 8
g
Dcos
d
m
d Bearing radial deflection mm (in.)
u Bearing angular misalignment rad, 8
Sr Curvature sum mm
1
(in.
1
)
c Rolling element azimuth angle rad, 8
Subscripts
1, 2, 3 Bearing location
a Axial direction
h Bearing location
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
j Rolling elem ent locat ion
y y Directi on
z z Directi on
xy xy Plane
xz xz Plane
Sup erscript
k Appli ed load or moment
9.1 GENERAL
In some modern engineer ing ap plications of rolling bearing s, such as high-sp eed gas turbin es,
machi ne tool spindl es, and gyrosco pes, the bearing s must often be treated as integ ral to the
syst em to be able to accurat ely determ ine shaft defle ctions and dy namic shaft loading as well
as to ascertain the perfor mance of the bearing s. Chapt er 1 and Chapt er 3 detai l methods of
calcul ation of roll ing element load dist ribution for bearing s subjected to co mbinations of
radial , axial, and moment loading s. Thes e load dist ribut ions are affe cted by the shaft radial
and an gular defle ctions at the bearing . In this chap ter, equatio ns for the an alysis of bearing
loading as influenced by shaft de flections wi ll be developed.
9.2 TWO-BEARING SYSTEMS
9.2.1 RIGID SHAFT SYSTEMS
A commonl y us ed shaftbeari ng system involv es tw o angular -conta ct ball be arings or
tapere d roller be arings mounted in a back-t o-back arrange men t as illustr ated in Figure 9.1
and Figure 9.2. In these applic ations, the radial loads on the bea rings are general ly c alculated
independently using the statically determinate methods. It may be noticed from Figure 9.1
and Figure 9.2, however, that the point of application of each radial load occurs where the
line defining the contact angle intersects the bearing axis. Thus, it can be observed that a
back-to-back bearing mounting has a greater length between loading centers than does a face-
to-face mounting. This means that the bearing radial loads will tend to be less for the back-to-
back mounting.
F
al
F
a2
F
r2
P
a
F
rl
FIGURE 9.1 Rigid shaft mounted in back-to-back angular-contact ball bearings subjected to combined
radial and thrust loadings.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
The axial or thrust load carried by each be aring depends on the intern al load distribut ion
in the indivi dual bea ring. For simple thrust loading of the system, the method illustrated in
Example 9.3 may be app lied to determ ine the a xial loading in each bearing . When each
bearing must carry both radial and ax ial loads, althoug h the system is stat ically indete rmin-
ate, for systems in which the shaft may be consider ed rigid, a simplified method of an alysis
may be employ ed . In Chapter 11 of the fir st volume of this hand book, it is demonst rated that
a bearing subject ed to combined radial and axial loading may be consider ed to carry an
equival ent load de fined by
F
e
XF
r
YF
a
9: 1
Loadin g fact ors X and Y are functions of the free co ntact angle, whi ch for this calcul ation is
assumed invariant with rolling element azimuth location and unaffected by applied load. This
cond ition is true for tapere d roll er bearing s; howeve r, as shown in Chapt er 1, it is onl y
approximated for ball bearings. Values for X and Y are usually provided for each ball bearing
and tapered roller bearing in manufacturers catalogs. Accordingly, assuming radial loads F
r1
and F
r2
are determined using statically determinate calculation methods, the bearing axial
loads F
a1
and F
a2
may be approximated considering the following conditions:
If load condition (1) is defined by
F
r2
Y
2
<
F
r1
Y
1
and load condition (2) is defined by
F
r2
Y
2
>
F
r1
Y
1
P
a
!
1
2
F
r2
Y
2

F
r1
Y
1
_ _
then,
F
a1

F
r1
2Y
1
9:2
F
a2
F
a1
P
a
9:3
F
al F
a2
F
r2
P
a
F
rl
FIGURE 9.2 Rigid shaft mounted in back-to-back tapered roller bearings subjected to combined radial
and thrust loadings.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
If load condition (3) is defined by
F
r2
Y
2
>
F
r1
Y
1
P
a
<
1
2
F
r2
Y
2

F
r1
Y
1
_ _
then,
F
a2

F
r2
2Y
2
9:4
F
a1
F
a2
P
a
9:5
See Example 9.1 and Example 9.2.
9.2.2 FLEXIBLE SHAFT SYSTEMS
In the more general two-bearing shaft system, flexure of the shaft induces moment loads M
h
at
non-self-aligning bearing supports in addition to the radial loads F
h
. This loading system,
illustrated in Figure 9.3, is statically indeterminate in that there are four unknowns: F
1
, F
2
,
M
1
, and M
2
; but, only two static equilibrium equations. For example,

F 0 F
1
F
2
P 0 9:6

M 0 F
1
l M
1
T P l a M
2
0 9:7
Considering the bending of the shaft, the bending moment at any section is given as follows:
EI
d
2
y
dx
2
M 9:8
where E is the modulus of elasticity, I is the shaft cross-section moment of inertia, and y is the
shaft deflection at the section. For shafts that have circular cross-sections,
I
p
64
D
4
o
D
4
i
9:9
1
F
1
F
2
2
T
k
P
k
a
k
l
FIGURE 9.3 Statically indeterminate two-bearing shaft system.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
For a cross-sect ion at 0 x a illustrated in Fi gure 9.4,
EI
d
2
y
d x
2
F
1
x M
1
9: 10
Integr ating Equat ion 9.10 yields
EI
dy
dx

F
1
x
2
2
M
1
x C
1
9: 11
Integr ating Equat ion 9.11 yields
EIy
F
1
x
3
6

M
1
x
2
2
C
1
x C
2
9: 12
In Equat ion 9.11 an d Equation 9.12, C
1
and C
2
are c onstants of integ ration . At x 0, the
shaft assum es the bearing de flection d
r1
. Als o at x 0, the shaft assum es a slope u
1
in
accordan ce wi th the resistance of the bearing to mo ment loading ; hence,
C
1
EI u
1
C
2
EI d
r1
Therefor e, Equation 9.11 an d Equation 9.12 be come
EI
dy
dx

F
1
x
2
2
M
1
x EI u
1
9: 13
and
EIy
F
1
x
3
6

M
1
x
3
2
EI u
1
x EI d
r1
9: 14
For a cross-sect ion at a x l as shown in Figure 9.5,
EI
d
2
y
dx
2
F
1
x M
1
Px a T 9:15
V
1
F
1
x
FIGURE 9.4 Statically indeterminate two-bearing shaft system forces and moments acting on a section
to the left of the load application point.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Integr ating Equat ion 9.15 twice yields
EI
dy
dx

F
1
x
2
2
M
1
T x Px
x
2
a
_ _
C
3
9: 16
EIy
F
1
x
3
6
M
1
T
x
2
2
Px
2
x
6

a
2
_ _
C
3
x C
4
9: 17
At x l, the slope of the sh aft is u
2
and the de flection is d
r2
, theref ore,
EI
dy
dx

F
1
l
2
x
2

2
T M
1
l x
P
2
x x 2a l l 2a EI u
2
9: 18
EI y
F
1
6
l
2
2l 3x x
3

M
1
T
2
l x
2

P
6
x
2
x 3a
l
2
3x 3a 2l 6xla EI d
r2
u
2
l x 9: 19
At x a, singul ar co nditions of slope and defle ction occur. Ther efore at x a, Equat ion 9.13
and Equat ion 9.18 are equ ivalent as are Equat ion 9.14 and Equat ion 9.19. Solving the
resul tant sim ultaneo us eq uations yiel ds
F
1

P l a
2
l 2a
l
3

6 Ta l a
l
3

6EI
l
2
u
1
u
2

2d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9: 20
M
1

Pa l a
2
l
2

T l a l 3a
l
2

2EI
l
2u
1
u
2

3d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9: 21
Subs tituting Equat ion 9.20 and Equat ion 9.21 in Equation 9.6 an d Equation 9.7 yiel ds
F
2

Pa
2
3l 2a
l
3

6Tal a
l
3

6EI
l
2
u
1
u
2

2d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9:22
M
2

Pa
2
l a
l
2

Ta2l 3a
l
2

2EI
l
u
1
2u
2

3d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9:23
m
1
F
1
a
k
P
k
T
k
V
x
FIGURE 9.5 Statically indeterminate two-bearing shaft system forces and moments acting on a section
to the right of the load application.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
In Equat ion 9.20 through Equation 9.23, slope u
1
and d
r1
are co nsidered posit ive a nd the signs
of u
2
an d d
r2
may be determ ined from Equat ion 9.18 and Equat ion 9.19. The relative
magni tudes of P and T an d their directions will de termine the sense of the shaft slopes at
the bearing s. To determ ine the reaction s, it is necessa ry to develop eq uations relating bearing
misali gnment an gles u
h
to the mis aligning moment s M
h
and bearing radial deflections d
rh
to
loads F
h
. Thi s may be done by using the data of Chapte r 1 and Chapt er 3.
When the be arings are consider ed as axial ly free pin supp orts, Equat ion 9.20 and Equa-
tion 9 .22 are identical to Equat ion 4.29 an d Equation 4.30, given in the fir st volume of this
hand book for a statical ly determ inate syst em. That format is obtaine d by setting M
h
d
r h
0
and solving Equation 9.21 and Equat ion 9.23 sim ultane ously for u
1
an d u
2
. Subs titution of
these values in Equat ion 9.20 and Equat ion 9.22 pro duces the resultant equati ons. If the sha ft
is very flexible and the bearing s are very rigi d wi th regard to mis alignment, then u
1
u
2
0.
This substitut ion in Equat ion 9 .20 through Equation 9.23 yields the class ical solut ion for a
beam with both ends built in. The various types of tw o-bearing supp ort may be examin ed by
using Equation 9.20 through Equat ion 9.23. If more than one load or torque is applie d
between the supp orts, then by the princi ple of superposi tion
F
1

1
l
3

k n
k 1
P
k
l a
k
_ _
2
l 2a
k
_ _

6
l
3

k n
k 1
T
k
a
k
l a
k
_ _

6EI
l
2
u
1
u
2

2 d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9: 24
M
1

1
l
3

k n
k 1
P
k
a
k
l a
k
_ _
2

1
l
2

k n
k 1
T
k
l a
k
_ _
l 3a
k
_ _

2EI
l
2u
1
u
2

3 d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9: 25
F
2

1
l
3

k n
k 1
P
k
a
k
_ _
2
3l 2a
k
_ _

6
l
3

k n
k 1
T
k
a
k
l a
k
_ _

6EI
l
2
u
1
u
2

2 d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9: 26
M
2

1
l
3

k n
k 1
P
k
a
k
_ _
2
l a
k
_ _

1
l
2

k n
k 1
T
k
a
k
2l 3a
k
_ _

2EI
l
u
1
2u
2

3 d
r1
d
r2

l
_ _
9: 27
See Exampl e 9.3 .
9.3 THREE-BEARING SYSTEMS
9.3.1 R IGID SHAFT S YSTEMS
When the shaft is rigid and the dist ance between bearing s is smal l, the infl uence of the shaft
defle ction on the distribut ion of loading among the be arings may be neglected . An ap plica-
tion of this kind is ill ustrated in Fig ure 9.6.
In this system, the angular -conta ct ball bearing s are consider ed as one double-r ow bearing .
The thrust load acti ng on the doubl e-row bearing is the thrust load P
a
app lied by the be vel gear.
To ca lculate the magnitud e of the radial loads F
r
and F
r3
, the effecti ve point of app lication of F
r
must be determined . F
r
ac ts at the center of the doubl e-row bearing only if P
a
0. If a thrust
load e xists, the line of ac tion of F
r
is displaced toward the pressur e center of the rolling elem ent
row that supp orts the thrust load. This displ acement may be neglected only if the dista nce
l betw een the center of the doubl e-row ball bearing set and the roll er bearing is large co mpared
with the dist ance b. Using the X and Y factors (see Equation 9.1), pertaining to the single-
row bearing s, Figure 9.7 gives the relative dista nce b
1
/b as a function of the parameter F
a
Y/F
r
(1X). The X and Y factors for the load condition F
a
/F
r
>e must be selected fromthe bearing
catalog.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
See Exam ple 9.4.
9.3.2 NONRIGID SHAFT SYSTEMS
The gen eralized loading of a three-beari ng-shaf t supp ort system is illustr ated in Figure 9.8a.
This syst em may be red uced to the two syst ems of Figure 9.8b a nd analyze d accordi ng to
the methods given previou sly for a two-bear ing nonrigi d shaft system provided that
F
0
2
F
00
2
F
2
9: 28
M
0
2
M
00
2
M
2
9: 29
Hence, from Equat ion 9.24 through Equat ion 9.27,
F
1

1
l
3
1

k n
k 1
P
k
1
l
1
a
k
1

2
l
1
2a
k
1

6
l
3
1

k n
k 1
T
k
1
a
k
1
l
1
a
k
1

6El
1
l
2
1
u
1
u
2

3d
r1
d
r2

l
1
_ _
9: 30
F
r3
l
1
P
r
F
r
b
1
r
mp
P
a
l
o
b
FIGURE 9.6 Example of three-bearing shaft system with a rigid shaft.
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
0
0 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4
F
a
Y
F
r
(1 X)
b
1
b
FIGURE 9.7 b
1
/b vs. F
a
Y/F
r
(1 X) for the double-row bearing in a three-bearing rigid shaft system.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
M
1

1
l
2
1

kn
k1
P
k
1
a
k
1
l
1
a
k
1

1
l
2
1

kn
k1
T
k
1
l
1
a
k
1
l
1
3a
k
1

2EI
1
l
1
2u
1
u
2

3d
r1
d
r2

l
1
_ _
9:31
F
2

1
l
3
1

kn
k1
P
k
1
a
k
1

2
3l
1
2a
k
1

1
l
3
2

kn
k1
P
k
2
l
2
a
k
2
l
2
2a
k
2

6
l
3
1

kn
k1
T
k
1
a
k
1
l
1
a
k
1

6
l
3
2

kn
k1
T
k
2
a
k
2
l
2
a
k
2

6E
I
1
l
2
1
u
1
u
2

I
2
l
2
2
u
2
u
3

_ _
12E
I
1
l
3
1
d
r1
d
r2

I
2
l
3
2
d
r2
d
r3

_ _
9:32
a
k
1
a
k
1
a
k
2
a
k
2
P
k
2
T
k
2
P
k
1
P
k
1
P
k
2
T
k
1
2
1
F

2
F
3
F
1
F
1
l
1
l
1
l
2
l
2
F
3
F
2
F

2
3
T
k
2
(a)
(b)
1

2
3
FIGURE 9.8 (a) Three-bearing shaft system; (b) equivalent two-bearing shaft system.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
M
2

1
l
2
1

k n
k 1
P
k
1
a
k
1

2
l
1
a
k
1

1
l
2
2

k n
k 1
P
k
2
a
k
2
l
2
a
k
2

1
l
2
1

k n
k 1
T
k
1
a
k
1
2l
1
3a
k
1

1
l
2
2

k n
k 1
T
k
2
l
2
a
k
2
l
2
3a
k
2

2E
I
1
l
1
u
1
2u
2

I
2
l
2
2u
2
u
3

_ _
6E
I
1
l
2
1
d
r1
d
r2

I
2
l
2
2
d
r2
d
r3

_ _
9: 33
F
3

1
l
3
2

k n
k 1
P
k
2
a
k
2

2
3l
2
2a
k
2

6
l
3
2

k n
k 1
T
k
2
a
k
2
l
2
a
k
2

6EI
2
l
2
2
u
2
u
3

2d
r2
d
r3

l
2
_ _
9: 34
M
3

1
l
2
2

k n
k 1
P
k
2
a
k
2

2
l
2
a
k
2

1
l
2
2

k n
k 1
T
k
2
a
k
2
2l
2
3a
k
2

2EI
2
l
2
u
2
2u
3

3d
r2
d
r3

l
2
_ _
9: 35
An exampl e of the util ity of the general ized eq uations Equat ion 9.30 through Equation 9.35 is
the system illustra ted in Figure 9.9. For that syst em, it is assum ed that moment loads are zero
and that the differences betwe en bearing radial defle ctions are negli gibly smal l. Hence,
Equat ion 9 .30 through Equat ion 9.35 become
F
1

P l
1
a
2
l
1
2a
l
3
1

6EI
l
2
1
u
1
u
2
9:36
2u
1
u
2

Pal
1
a
2
2EIl
1
9:37
F
2

Pa
2
3l
1
2a
l
3
1
6EI
u
1
u
2

l
2
1

u
2
u
3

l
2
2
_ _
9:38
u
1
2u
2

l
1

2u
2
u
3

l
2

Pa
2
l
1
a
2EIl
3
1
9:39
F
3

6EIu
2
u
3

l
2
2
9:40
a
P
F
1
F
2
F
3
l
1
l
2
FIGURE 9.9 Simple three-bearing shaft system.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
u
2
2u
3
0 9: 41
Equation 9.37, Equat ion 9.39, and Equat ion 9.4 can be solved for u
1
, u
2
, and u
3
. Subs equent
substitut ion of these v alues in Equation 9 .36, Equat ion 9.38, and Equat ion 9.40 yiel ds the
followi ng result:
F
1

P l
1
a2l
1
l
1
l
2
a l
1
a
2l
2
1
l
1
l
2

9: 42
F
2

Pa l
1
l
2

2
a
2
l
2
2

2l
2
1
l
2
9: 43
F
3

Pa l
2
1
a
2

2 l
1
l
2
l
1
l
2

9: 44
9.3.2 .1 Rigi d Shafts
When the dist ances between bearing s are smal l or the shaft is otherwis e very stiff, the bearing
radial defle ctions determine the load distribut ion among the bearing s. From Figure 9 .10, it
can be seen that by consider ing simila r trian gles
d
r1
d
r2
l
1

d
r2
d
r3
l
2
9: 45
This iden tical relationsh ip can be obtaine d from Equation 9.30 through Equat ion 9.35 by
setting sh aft cross- section moment of inert ia I to an infinite ly large value. For a radially
loaded be aring wi th rigid rings , the maxi mum rolling elem ent load is directly propo rtional to
the applied radial load F
r
, and the maximumrolling element deflection determines the bearing
radial deflection. Since rolling element load QKd
n
, therefore,
F
r
Kd
n
r
9:46
Rearranging Equation 9.46,
d
r

F
r
K
_ _
1=n
9:47
l
1
d
r1
d
r2
d
r3
l
2

C
FIGURE 9.10 Deflection of a three-bearing shaft system with a rigid shaft.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Subs titution of Equat ion 9.47 in Equat ion 9.45 yiel ds
F
r1
K
1
_ _
1= n

F
r2
K
2
_ _
1 =n

l
1
l
2
F
r2
K
2
_ _
1 = n

F
r3
K
3
_ _
1= n
_ _
9: 48
Equat ion 9.48 is vali d for bearing s that suppo rt a radial load only. More c omplex relation-
ships are requ ired in the presence of simu ltaneo us applie d thrust and moment loading .
Equat ion 9.48 can be solved sim ultane ously with the equ ilibrium equati ons to yiel d values
of F
r1
, F
r2
, and F
r3
.
See Exam ple 9.5.
9.4 MULTIPLE-BEARING SYSTEMS
Equat ion 9.30 throu gh Equat ion 9.35 may be used to determine the bearing reactions in a
mult iple-beari ng syst em such as that sho wn in Figure 9.11 with a flex ible shaft. It is evident
that the react ion at any bearing support location h is a function of the loading exist ing at and
in between the bearing suppo rts locat ed at h 1 and h 1. Therefor e, from Equation 9.30
through Equat ion 9.35, the react ive loads at each support location h are g iven as follows :
F
h

1
l
3
h 1

k p
k 1
P
k
h 1
a
k
h 1

2
3l
h 1
2a
h 1

1
l
3
h

k q
k 1
P
k
h
l
h
a
k
h

2
l
h
2a
k
h

6
l
3
h1

kr
k1
T
k
h1
a
k
h1
l
h1
a
k
h1

6
l
3
h

ks
k1
T
k
h
a
k
h
l
h
a
k
h

6E
I
h1
l
2
h1
u
h1
u
h

2
l
h1
d
r;h1
d
r;h

_ _ _

I
h
l
2
h
u
h
u
h1

2
l
h
d
r;h
d
r;h1

_ __
9:49
P
h 1
P
h
T
h 1
T
h
h 1
F
h 1
l
h 1
l
h
h +1
F
h +1
F
h
h
a
h 1
a
h
k k
k
k
k
FIGURE 9.11 Multiple-bearing shaft system.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
M
h

1
l
2
h 1

k p
k 1
P
k
h 1
a
k
h 1

2
l
h 1
a
k
h 1

1
l
2
h

k q
k 1
P
k
h
a
k
h
l
h
a
k
h

2

1
l
2
h 1

k r
k 1
T
k
h 1
a
k
h 1
2l
h 1
3a
k
h 1

1
l
2
h

k s
k 1
T
k
h
l
h
a
k
h
l
h
3a
k
h

2E
I
h 1
l
h 1
u
h 1
2u
h

3
l
h 1
u
r; h 1
u
r; h

_ _ _

I
h
l
h
2u
h
u
h 1

3
l
h
d
r ;h
d
r;h 1

_ __
9: 50
For a shaft bearin g system of n sup ports, that is, h n, Equat ion 9.49 an d Equat ion 9.50
repres ent a system of 2 n equati ons. In the most elementary case, all be arings are consider ed as
suffici ently self-al igning such that all M
h
equal zero; furt hermor e, all d
r, h
are con sidered
negli gible compared wi th shaft defle ction. Equation 9.49 and Equat ion 9.50 thereby degen-
erate to the familiar equati on of th ree momen ts.
It is evident that the so lution of Equation 9.49 and Equat ion 9.50 to obt ain bearing
react ions M
h
and F
h
depen ds on relationsh ips between radial load and rad ial de flection an d
moment load and mis alignment angle for each radial bearing in the syst em. Thes e relation-
ships hav e been define d in Chapt er 1 and Chapt er 3. Thus, for a very sophist icated solution to
a shaftbeari ng problem as illustrated in Figu re 9.12 one co uld co nsider a shaft that has tw o
degrees of freedom with regard to be nding, that is, defle ction in two of three princi pal
directions, sup ported by bea rings h a nd accomm oda ting load s k. At each bearing locat ion
h, one must establis h the following relation ships:
d
y, h
f
1
F
x, h
, F
y , h
, F
z , h
, M
xy, h
,M
xz,h
9:51
d
z,h
f
2
F
x,h
,F
y,h
,F
z,h
,M
xy,h
,M
xz,h
9:52
u
xy,h
f
3
F
x,h
,F
y,h
,F
z,h
,M
xy,h
,M
xz,h
9:53
Bearing location Bearing location
h h + 1
z
y
x
F
z,h
P
y,h
P
z,h
F
z,h +1
F
y,h
F
y,h +1
xy,h
T
xz,h
xy,h +1
xz,h
T
xy,h
xz,h +1
k
k
k
k
FIGURE 9.12 System loading in three dimensions.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
u
xz;h
f
4
F
x;h;
F
y;h;
F
z;h;
M
xy;h;
M
xz;h
9:54
To accommodate the movement of the shaft in two principal directions, the following
expressions will replace Equation 3.72 and Equation 3.73 for each ball bearing (see Ref. [1]):
S
xj
BDsin a

d
x
u
xz
<
i
sin c
j
u
xy
<
i
cos c
j
9:55
S
zj
BDcos a

d
y
sin c
j
d
j
cos c
j
9:56
9.5 CLOSURE
For most rolling bearing applications, it is sufficient to consider the shaft and housing as rigid
structures. As demonstrated in Example 9.3, however, when the shaft is considerably hollow
and the span between bearing supports is sufficiently great, the shaft bending characteristics
cannot be considered separately from the bearing deflection characteristics with the expect-
ation of accurately ascertaining the bearing loads or the overall system deflection character-
istics. In practice, the bearings may be stiffer than might be anticipated by the simple
deflection formulas or even stiffer than a more elegant solution that employs accurate
evaluation of load distribution might predict for the assumed loading. The penalty for
increased stiffness will be paid in shortened bearing life since the improved stiffness is
obtained at the expense of induced moment loading.
It is of interest to note that the accurate determination of bearing loading in integral
shaftbearinghousing systems involves the solution of many simultaneous equations. For
example, in a high-speed shaft supported by three ball bearings, each of which has a
complement of 10 balls, the shaft being loaded so as to cause each bearing to experience
five degrees of freedom in deflection requires the solution of 142 simultaneous equations,
most of which are nonlinear in the variables to be determined. Most likely, the system would
include some roller bearings, these having complements of 20 or more rollers per row, thus
adding to the number of equations to be solved simultaneously. Furthermore, the bearing
outer rings and inner rings may be flexibly supported as in aircraft power transmissions,
adding to the complexity of the analytical system and the difficulty of obtaining a solution
using numerical analysis techniques such as the NewtonRaphson method for simultaneous,
nonlinear equations.
REFERENCE
1. Jones, A., A general theory of elastically constrained ball and radial roller bearings under arbitrary
load and speed conditions, ASME Trans., J. Basic Eng., 82, 309320, 1960.
2006 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.