This article was downloaded by: [New York University]

On: 30 April 2015, At: 01:36

Publisher: Taylor & Francis
Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer
House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

A S L E Transactions
Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:
http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/utrb19

Performance Characteristics at the Rib Roller End

Contact in Tapered Roller Bearings
a
C. L. Karna
a
Timken Company , Canton, Ohio
Published online: 25 Mar 2008.

To cite this article: C. L. Karna (1974) Performance Characteristics at the Rib Roller End Contact in Tapered Roller
Bearings, A S L E Transactions, 17:1, 14-21, DOI: 10.1080/05698197408981434

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/05698197408981434

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”)
contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors
make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any
purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views
of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content
should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor
and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses,
damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection
with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic
reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any
form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://
www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
 to the total rib reaction at normal bearing speeds is small.
For relatively high-speed applications the' dynamic in-
crease in the rib reaction must be taken into consideration
in order to evaluate the rib performance properly. As an
example, for the test bearing X-1 listed in Table 1, the
rib reaction under a bearing thrust load of 3,000 pounds,
given by the first term in Eq. [7], is approximately 24
pounds. The dynamic increase in the rib reaction, given by
the second term in Eq. [7] is only 0.32 pounds at the bearing
speed of 1,000 rpm, and this increases to nearly 8 pounds at
5,000 rpm and to a relatively high value of 32 pounds at
1,000 rpm. Thus, at 5,000 rpm, the dynamic increase rep-
resents about 25 percent of the total rib reaction and at
10,000 rpm, it is almost 60 percent.
RIB TORQUE
The frictional torque on the rib is a function of the
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
generated frictional force F, at the rib roller end contact
and the distance H of this contact from the bearing axis.
The torque per roller is given by
Assuming that the rib reaction T ois concentrated at the
midpoint of the area of contact at the rib roller end, the
rib torque per roller may be simply written as,
where p is the coefficient of friction at the rib roller end
contact. The total rib torque for the bearing thrust load is
obtained from,
where n represents the number of rollers in the bearing.
Upon substituting the value of the rib reaction from Eq. [7]
into Eq. [lo], the total rib torque is now given by,
Tf(rib) = pHn(2Po Sin v + CF Sin 0) [ll]
and using the relation for Po from Eq. [6], the total rib
torque is
Sin v
T,(rib) = pH (2 W T- nCp Sin 0)
Sin a
+ [I21
As mentioned above, for the normal bearing speeds, the
second term in the above equation relating to the centrifu-
gal force may be ignored and the value of p may be ob-
tained experimentally as described in later sections.
HERTZIAN CONTACT STRESS
According to the Hertzian contact stress theory, the
contact stress a t the rib and the roller end will be classified
as a point contact stress in contrast to the case of line
contact stress between the raceways and the roller con-
tact. The severity of the stress a t the rib contact primarily
depends upon the imposed normal contact load and the
geometry of the contacting surfaces. The method to calcu-
late the maximum Hertzian contact stress is well known
(1).For the given sample of test bearings, the maximum
Hertzian stress has been calculated for the rib contact and
is given in Table 1 in terms of the thrust load on the bear-
ing along with the relevant data necessary to calculate the
stress. I t was observed that the maximum Hertzian con-
tact stress does not exceed 20,000 psi at the rib roller end
contact for the full basic thrust rating for the test bearings.
ELASTOHYDRODYNAMIC LUBRICATION (EHL)
The subject of EHL film a t rolling/sliding contacts has
been discussed in greater detail in a recently published
paper (2). I t may suffice to indicate here that the lubricant
film thickness at the rib roller end contact may be calcu-
lated using the basic formulas of Dowson-Higginson (3)
as modified by Cheng (4) for the side leakage and thermal
effects, or it may be more directly calculated from Archard
and Cowking (5) formulas for a circular contact modified
to be used for an elliptical contact.
I t has been observed that the main parameters which
influence the formation of the EHL film are the surface
velocities and the lubricant viscosity related parameters
notably the viscosity of the lubricant at the inlet zone of
the contact and the exponential pressure viscosity co-
efficient. The EHL theory indicates relatively insignificant
effects of the contact load, the surface material constants
or the geometry of the contacting surfaces. Increase in
the surface velocity is beneficial to the formation of the
film thickness to the extent that it does not lead to decrease
in the lubricant viscosity because of increased speed gen-
erating higher operating temperature.
In order to make these observations more meaningful,
the lubricant film thickness at the rib roller end contact,
for the test bearings used in the experimental part of this
investigation, has been calculated using the basic Archard
and Cowking formula (5) in the following form (2), as-
suming Young's modulus for the test bearings equal to
30 X 106 psi, Poisson's ratio of 0.3 and the pressure vis-
cosity coefficient of the lubricant equal to 1.25 X
inch2/pound :
ho(rib) = 0.011(~oqou)0~74R0~41T04~m4
inch [13]
The respective value of each of the parameters used in
the above formula, along with the theoretically calculated
values of the lubricant film thickness has been listed in
Table 2. Furthermore, the specific film thickness A, de-
fined as the ratio of the film thickness to the composite
surface roughness U,has been calculated and is also shown
in Table 2. The value of h 0 . I 4 for all the test bearings is
assumed equal to 0.15. The composite surface roughness in
the calculations for the specific film thickness is equal to
the square root of the sum of the individually squared rms
surface roughness of the contacting surfaces. The hydro-
dynamic condition of lubrication a t the contact is defined
in the same manner as suggested by Cheng, et al., (4)
namely, that for the specific film thickness A, a value of 4
indicates the existence of thick EHL film, a value between
1 and 4 is considered satisfactory lubrication and finally a
value less than 1 is considered marginal lubrication.
I t is recalled that there are two undetermined quantities
in Eq. [12], the detached rib torque TI and the coe5cient
 Performance Characteristics at the Rib Roller End Contact in Tapered Roller Bearings
TABLE2-CALCULATED EHL FILM THICKNESS A T THE RIB ROLLER END CONTACT
THRUST
LOAD SPEED TEMP OIL VISC.
BEARING (lb) ( ~ m ) ("F) (micro-reyn)
* Ratio of film thickness to composite surface roughness.
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
of friction p . The value of p will depend upon the condition
of lubrication a t the rib contact. I t will be safer to assume
that a t low velocities the value of p will be relatively high
due to possible incomplete condition of hydrodynamic ac-
tion a t the contact and as the speed increases the EHL film
will tend to increase supporting the contact pressure and
separating the surfaces in contact there by lowering con-
siderably the value of p and the rib frictional torque. I t is
obvious that p is intimately related to the lubricant film
thickness and the condition of lubrication a t the given
contacting surfaces. The actual value of may now be
obtained from the experimental part of the investigation.
EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATIONS
The overall objective of the experimental effort is to
determine the rib torque experimentally and thereby ascer-
tain the nature and the value of coefficient of friction a t the
rib contact. In order to do this, it is necessary to separate
the rib torque from the overall bearing torque. For this
purpose, the rib has to be detached from the inner race.
The test rig built to do this essentially consists of a tapered
roller bearing with outer race (cup) rotating under a thrust
load applied by a hydraulic cylinder. The rib has been
detached from the inner race and is supported on a circular
hydrostatic bearing pad. The test rig has been designed to
carry a test thrust load up to 4,000 pounds and is to be
operated up to 1,750 rpm. Figure 3 shows the sectional
assembly view of the test rig. The detached rib is individu-
ally free to rotate and the rib torque is measured off a
calibrated strain gage attached onto a lever arm fastened
to the alignment bracket. SAE 20 mineral oil is supplied
under pressure to the hydrostatic pad to support the thrust
load and this same oil is then passed through the test
bearing assembly to be used as the lubricant for the race-
ways and the rib roller end contact.
The selection of the test bearings has been based mostly
on the adequate overall dimensions of the bearing. For
this purpose, specially modified bearings designated X-1,
X-2, X-3, with ah overall OD of approximately 6 in and
17
EPEECT. FILM
RAD. MEANVEL. THICK
(in) (in/sec) (micro-in) A*
Fig. 3-Sectional asnembly drawing of the test-rig
with a bore of 3.25 in had been selected as the test bear-
ings. Table 1 lists the important dimensional parameters.
The test program had been planned to determine the
effect of the bearing speed, and the bearing load on the
rib frictional torque. The test data has been obtained on a 6
channel Brush Chart recorder which records simultaneous-
ly the test data for the rib torque, the inlet and the outlet
temperatures of the lubricant, the rib surface temperature
(measured by a thermocouple inserted close to the de-
tached rib surface), and the shaft speed. The loads had
been set a t 500 pound increment for each full range of
shaft speed from 100 to 1,500 rpm.
ANALYSIS OF THE TEST DATA
I t is not possible to include here all of the test data
taken on the test bearings under the selected operational
test parameters. As illustration, Fig. 4 shows the detached
rib torque plotted against speed for different test load
levels in the case of bearing series X-2. I t was observed
that in each set of test results, the rib torque reached the
maximum value a t a low speed of approximately 100 rpm
and as the speed was then increased, the rib torque de-
creased rapidly reaching a.relatively small value. There
appears a particular speed, depending upon the test load

P
K Sliding Velocity (fpm)
20
0
' 400 BOO 1200 1600
Cup Speed (rprn)
Fig. 4-Experimental values of detached rib torque for test bearing X-2
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
on the bearing, at which the value of the rib torque falls
considerably and then remains relatively insignificant.
This speed may be classified as the speed a t which the
hydrodynamic condition of lubrication has been achieved,
thereby lowering the rib torque as shown in Fig. 4.
With regard to the effect of load, it was observed that
the rib torque tends to increase at first with the increase
in the rib load; the rate of increase is relatively high a t
lower speed range, but at higher speeds the load increase
has no appreciable effect on the rib torque. This may be
explained on the grounds that the coefficient of friction a t
the rib contact at starting speed is initially high but as the
speed builds up, the contacting surfaces tend to separate
due to the hydrodynamic build up of the lubricant film;
the coefficient of friction and, consequently, the rib fric-
tional torque are relatively small in value. The calculated
film thickness as given in Table 2 ranges from approxi-
mately 10 microinches at the lowest speed to over 60
niicroinches at the highest. The corresponding specific
film thickness, for the given test speed range, varies ap-
proximately from 1 to 6.
EXPERIMENTAL VALUE O F THE
COEFFICIENT O F FRICTION
Now that the frictional torque values for the detached
rib have been obtained experimentally for different speed
and load conditions for the given test bearings, the value of
the coefficient of friction may be determined by equating
the experimental values of the rib torque for the given
bearing, for each specific speed-load condition, against the
theoretical value of T , / p obtained from Eq. [12]. As
mentioned previously, the second term due to the dynami-
cal effect in Eq. [12] is small for the given test speeds and
may be ignored during the course of calculating the value
of p from the test data.
A full range of the values of p has been obtained this
way for each of the test bearings. Figure 5 shows the aver-
age value of p for the given test bearings plotted against
the sliding speed component for each level of the maximum
Herteian contact stress a t the rib corresponding to the
test load on the bearing. I t is observed that the value of p
I000 Ib. (8ksi)
I00 200 300
Fig. 5-Experimental values of coefficient of friction for the rib-roller
end contact.
is drastically reduced as soon as the bearing speed is in-
creased, on the average, beyond the 100 to 250 rpm, a
range of speed which is achieved almost instantaneously
in normal bearing operation.
In order to relate the coefficient of friction to the condi-
tion of lubrication at the roller end contact, the average
experimental value of p and the theoretically calculated
value of the lubricant film thickness as listed in Table 2
have been shown plotted against the bearing speed in Fig.
6. I t may be observed that a t relatively higher bearing
speeds, the drastic reduction in the value of the coefficient
of friction is well correlated to the rapid build up in the
lubricant film thickness.
I t is necessary to mention here that further experi-
mental work has been arranged to obtain the value of p
for a relatively larger sample of test bearings to be tested
under a wider range of speed, load conditions. I t is hoped
that the experimental information of p provided in this
investigation would help the engineer understand the
nature of the performance at the rib and its relative small
contribution to the total bearing torque ( 6 ) . Now, for
instance, the coefficient of friction values obtained in this
investigation may be used to evaluate the quantity of
heat Q generated at the rib roller-end contact which for
axially applied bearing loads may be obtained from the
formula.
where J is the mechanical equivalent of heat. As illustra-
tion, Q is calculated for bearing X-3 a t two different bear-
ing speeds of 100 and 1,500 rpm which correspond to the
sliding velocity of approximately 17 and 255 fpm respec-
Cup Speed (rprn)
Fig. 6-Variation in EHL film thickness and coemcient of friction with
varying bearing speeds.
 Performance Characteristics a t the Rib Roller End Contact in Tapered Roller Bearings
tively. Now from Fig. 5, the value of p corresponding to
these values of the sliding velocity and for a thrust load of
3,000 pounds is approximately 0.06 and 0.007 respectively.
Substituting the values of n and T ofrom Table 1 for bear-
ing X-3 into Eq. [14], the value of Q is given by:
0.06(23) (39.3) (17)
1. (100 rpm); Q =
778
0.007(23) (39.3) (255)
2. (1,500 rprn); Q =
778
The torque was also measured for a complete bearing
for Series X-3 under the same bearing thrust load and
speed conditions yielding a torque value of 30 inch-lbs a t
100 rpm and 36 inch-lbs a t 1,500 rprn for a thrust load of
3,000 lbs. The total heat generated for the complete bear-
ing can be determined as specified in Ref. (7). The values
of Q for complete bearing are:
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
1. (100 rprn): Q(tota1) = 0.00067(30)(100)
= 2.01 BTU/min
2. (1.500 rpm): Q(tota1) = 0.00067(36) (1500)
= 36.18 RTU/min
I t is observed that a t lower speed level the quantity of
heat generated a t the rib is relatively high in relation to the
total heat generated in the bearing, but a t normal oper-
ating speeds (500-1,500 rprn for the data cited) the rib is a
minor contributor to the total heat generated in the tapered
roller bearing. Of course, the total heat generated in the
bearing a t 100 rprn is only about 5 percent of the total
bearing heat generated at 1,500 rpm.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
The dynamic equilibrium of a roller has been considered
to determine the increase in the rib reaction due to inertial
forces. I t is shown that for normal bearing operations the
dynamical increase is not significant. For high speed ap-
plications, the effect of centrifugal force must be taken into
consideration to evaluate the value of the rib torque.
Mathematical expressions for the rib torque have been
DISCUSSION
H. J. CARPER
Southwest Research Institute
San Antonio, Texas 78284
Mr. Karna is to be complimented for having made a
valuable contribution to the understanding of friction
behavior in tapered roller bearings. The results of this
study should be of significant interest to all designers and
users of this type of bearing.
19
derived and a simplified version of the rib torque formula
has been presented.
The experimental work carried out indicates that the
rib torque increases with the increase in the bearing load,
but decreases with the increase in the speed for the given
speed and load test range. The rib torque is maximum a t
100 rprn for these tests but diminishes rapidly with the
increase in the bearing speed.
All the experimental evidence indicates that the in-
crease in speed builds up the hydrodynamic condition of
lubrication a t the contact; it may be concluded that as
long as the hydrodynamic condition of lubrication is
maintained at the rib, minimum torque can be expected
a t the rib contact.
Experimental values for the coefficient of friction have
been obtained for the different speed, load conditions and
it has been observed that the value of coefficient of friction
rapidly diminishes as soon as the bearing speed has been
increased beyond the initial start up speeds. Using the
coefficient of friction values, it can be shown that the rib
contributes a minor portion of the total bearing heat
generated under the normal operational conditions.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The author is very grateful for the assistance and en-
couragement given by all his colleagues a t The Timken
Company.
REFERENCES
( I ) Timoshenko, S., "Theory of Elasticity," McGraw-Hil1,Book Inc.
New York, 1952.
(2) Wren, F. J., and Moyer, C. A., "Understanding Friction and
EHL films in Concentrated Contacts of a Tapered Roller Bear-
ing," EHL Lubrication, 1972 Symposium, University of Leeds:
April 1972.
(3) Dowson, D., Higginson, G., "Fundamentals of Roller Gear
Lubrication," Pergamon Press Ltd., 1966.
(4) Cheng, H. S., "EHL Film Thickness in High Speed Rolling and
Sliding Contacts," Mechanical Technology Inc. publication,
May (1967).
(5) Archard, J., Cowking, E., "EHL Lubrication a t Point Contacts,"
EHL Symposium in Leeds September (1965).
(6) Witte, Dwight C., "Operating Torque of Tapered Roller Bear-
ings," ASLE Trans. 16, 1 (1973).
(7) "Timken Engineering Journal," The Timken Company, Canton,
Ohio 1972.
This discusser would first like to add some words of
caution concerning the performance a t the rib-roller end
contact under more severe operating conditions. While it
is not indicated by the results of this study, the rib-roller
end contact is a potential problem area particularly a t
higher bearing speeds, and in some cases may be the
governing factor limiting the maximum speed and load
capabilities of the bearing.
For a tapered roller bearing operating in epicyclic
motion a t constant speed, the ratio of the sliding velocity
 (difference between the two surface velocities) to the sum
velocity (sum of the two surface velocities) at the rib-
roller end contact is constant and, depending upon the
bearing design, can be as high as about 0.2 or higher.
When sliding velocity is so high relative to sum velocity,
there is always the possibility that operation may enter
into the boundary lubrication regime. This is because the
frictional heating effect can reduce the oil film thickness
more than the higher sum velocities tend to increase it.
Another factor contributing to the possibility of a bound-
ary lubrication condition is oil starvation, which is more
likely to occur a t high bearing speeds. If for any reason
operation does enter the boundary lubrication regime to
the extent that appreciable asperity interactions occur,
then wear is inevitable and failure by scuffing may result.
Whethcr or not scuffing failure does occur will depend upon
the steel composition, surface textures, oil properties,
operat.ing conditions, and other factors. (Al, AZ)
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
The thermal and starvation effects are difficult to ac-
count for. Under elastohydrodynamic conditions, possibly
the best ways to handle these problems are those suggested
by Chcng (A3) and Chiu. (A4) The effect of starvation on
film thickness and friction for the isothermal case has been
discussed by Castle and Dowson. (A5)
For, the computation of film thickness in the flooded,
isothermal case, the use of an expression for the minimum
film thickness is to be preferred over that for the central-
region film thickness, such as the Archard expression used
by the author. If metal-to-metal contact should occur
within the conjunction, it will occur where the film is
thinnest. For circular conjunctions, the minimum film
thickness, which generally occurs a t the side lobes of the
horseshoe-shaped constriction, is typically 25 to 30 percent
less than the central-region film thickness. Actually, since
for the rib-roller end conjunction the ellipse is oriented with
the major axis aligned with the flow direction, the ap-
plication of a side-flow correction to the Archard expression
is most hazardous and subject to question. For the rib-
roller end conjunction, this discusser feels that an expres-
sion for the minimum film thickness derived from the
optical interference data of Thorp and Gohar (A6) may
be more appropriate.
The author has approached the derivation of the rib
torque e.xpression in a rather rigorous manner. However,
this discusser would like to suggest that in the interest of
complete analytical rigor, p should be expressed as a func-
tion of x and y and integrated along with p and r* in
Eq. [17]. Since temperature and oil film profiles are not
uniform within the conjunction, p is probably not either;
but due to the lack of knowledge concerning its behavior
the usual approach is to consider it uniform as the author
has done. I t is interesting to consider, however, that various
models of p could be devised and substituted into Eq. [17],
under the integral, and the resulting numerical integration
could be compared with rib torque measurements. This
procedure might provide valuable clues as to the actual
variation of within the conjunction.
With respect to the friction coefficient behavior shown in
Fig. 6, the results are typical of data obtained a t SwRI.
( A l , AZ) These data also show that friction coefficient
generally tends to decrease rather rapidly as the oil film
develops due to the initial speed increase a t a constant
sliding-to-sum velocity ratio, and tends to remain relative-
ly constant with further increase in speed. Also, a t a fixed
speed, friction coefficient generally tends to increase with
an increase in conjunction stress, when lubrication is in
the full EHD regime.
This discusser will be looking forward to seeing more
friction coefficient data for a wider speed and load range,
as the author mentions will be forthcoming. One of the
most significant contributions would be a generalized ex-
pression for friction coefficient in terms of operating and
design variables, which is presently not available, for use
in the rib torque expression.
REFERENCES
( A l ) Carper, H . J . , Ku, P. M., and Anderson, E. L., "Effect of Some
Material and Operating Variables on Scuffing," Mechanism and
Machine Theory, Vol. 8 , (1973).
(AZ) Staph, H. E., Ku, P. M., and Carper, H. J., "EKect of Surface
Roughness and Surface Texture on Scuffing," Meclranism and
Machine Tlzeory, Vol. 8 , (1973).
( A 3 ) Cheng, H. S., "Calculation of Elastohydrodynamic Film Thick-
ness in High-Speed Rolling and Sliding Contacts," MTI Rept.
67TRZ4, (1967).
( A 4 ) Chiu, Y . P., "Analysis and Prediction of Lubricant Film Starva-
tion in Rolling Contact Systems," ASLE Transactions 17,
1 (1974).
( A 5 ) Castle, P., and Dowson, D., "A Theoretical Analysis of the
Starved Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication Problem for Cylin-
ders in Line Contact," Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication, 1972
Symposium, IMechE, (1972).
( A 6 ) Thorp, N . , and Gohar, R., "Oil' Film Thickness and Shape for a
Ball Sliding in a Grooved Raceway," Trans. ASME, Jour. L d .
Tech., Vol. 94F1 (1972).
AUTHOR'S CLOSURE
The author thanks Mr. Carper for his useful discussion
and discerning comments on the subject of performance a t
the rib roller end contact in the tapered roller bearings.
The results of this present investigation and also the one
conducted by Mr. Korrenn (Bl) in Germany should help
the design and application engineers to have a better
understanding of the performance a t the rib roller end
contact.
T o reply to some of the specific comments, the author
feels that the main thrust of the results of this investiga-
tion lies in the fact that as long as the hydrodynamic
condition of lubrication is maintained a t the rib contact,
minimum frictional torque will be expected under severe
loads and high speed applications. Although the opera-
tional test parameters in the present investigation were
confined to normal operational conditions, the results as
shown by the rib frictional characteristics in Figs. (4) and
(6) indicate very strongly the trend in the performance a t
relatively higher load and speed conditions in the region
marked by the rapid build up in the hydrodynamic film
thickness at the rib contact. Once the bearing operation
enters into this region, the effect of increases in speed and
load is relatively insignificant.
The ratio of the sliding velocity component to the total
 Performance Characteristics a t the Rib Roller E n d Contact in Tapered Roller Bearings
sum of the two surface velocities for the test bearings used
in the esperiment works out to be approximately 0.08 and
this ratio for some bearing series may be as high as 0.16.
T h e effect of sliding as shown by the excellent experimental
work of Crook (BZ) remains insignificant on the formation
of E H L film thickness a t the contact. This is further sup-
ported by the analytical work done by Cheng (4). I n the
present investigation, the potential reduction in the film
thickness due t o sliding is more than compensated by the
increase in the film thickness due to the increase in the
mean surface velocity parameter as shown by calculations
in Table 2. For instance, the reduction in the lubricant
viscosity because of increase in the rib temperature caused
by the increase in the speed from 100 to 1,000 rpm., is
approsimately 25 percent only. This reduction in viscosity
is compensated by a tenfold increase in the speed parameter
and since both the speed and viscosity parameters are
raised to the same exponent in the film thickness formula
Downloaded by [New York University] at 01:36 30 April 2015
of Eq. [13],the total net result is approsimately a five-fold
increase in the E H L film a t the rib contact. One of the
main objectives of publishing the results of this investiga-
tion was precisely to dispel such notions that because of a
relatively large ratio of sliding to total sum velocity, the
lubrication condition may enter into a region of insufficient
lubrication a t the rib contact. Surely a t very high bearing
speeds, the frictional heat generated a t the contact is
relatively high, but it is hoped that there is sufficient
lubricant made available and supplied t o the bearing be-
fore the bearing is run a t such speeds.
T h e author agrees that the failure of sufficient supply of
lubricant to the important inlet zone of the contact will
result in lubricant starvation condition leading to a pos-
sible failure due to scuffing (scoring) a t the contact. The
author further agrees that the thermal and starvation
conditions are difficult t o compensate for in the usual E H L
design formulas. The work done by Chiu (B3) and Wedeven
et al., (B4) is helpful in understanding the nature of
lubricant starvation. The thermal factors as suggested by
Cheng (4) have been increasingly used by the author in
numerical calculations for E H L film thickness.
T h e selection of Archard and Cowking formula for
calculating the film thickness a t the elliptical contact was
chosen due to the main consideration that this formula
has been derived by modifying the point contact solution
of a circular contact region. T h e other E H L formulas
usually are based on the line contact area. T h e author has
also recommended the use of Dowson and Higginson (3)
formula for calculating the minimum film thickness at the
contact, as modified by Cheng's side leakage factor (4).
Actually Archard's and Cheng's side leakage factors are
both based on the work done by Kapitza (B5). Since, in
this case, the surface velocity vector is oriented along the
major axis of the elliptical contact area, the omission of the
side leakage factor as suggested by the discussion would
21
result in higher film thickness values. By way of further
comment, the author feels that the debate over the best
isothermal film thickness formula is rather futile due to the
non-availability of the exact values of some of the pa-
rameters e.g., lubricant temperature a t the inlet zone,
pressure viscosity coefficient, etc., which are needed t o
calculate the numerical values of the E H L film thickness
a t the conjunction. What all these formulas do is to give
one a relative measure of the E H L film thickness a t the
contact for different load, speed, etc, conditions.
For any precise discussion of the accuracy of the values
of film thickness, the film should be directly measured by
resistance, capacitance or optical interference methods,
etc.
T h e author has presented a more simple and direct
formula to calculate the rib frictional torque in the
present text of the paper. Mr. Carper's comments refer t o
the set of formulas presented in the first manuscript sub-
mitted t o the review committee. T h e author fully agrees
with Mr. Carper's useful recommendations.
The author agrees whole heartedly that one of the most
significant contributions would be t o obtain a generalized
expression for the coefficient of friction in terms of operat-
ing and design variables. I n order t o d o this, one needs t o
work with the generalized mathematical model for the
lubricant a t the critical inlet zone of the contact. Working
with the generalized model as suggested by Smith et al.
(Bb) and McGrew et al. (B7), leads to integral equations
of untractable nature. Perhaps the modified model sug-
gested by Kannel et al. (B8) may be more helpful. T h e
personnel at the author's research center are actively pursu-
ing such related problems a t this time, and hopefully, some
of the work may be published in near future.
REFERENCES
(BI) Korrenn, H., "Gleitreibung und Grenzbelastung on den Bord-
flachen von Kegelrollenlagern," Fortschritt. Berichte VDI
Zeitschrift Series 1, No. 11, March (1967).
(BZ) Crook, A. W., "Lubrication of Rollers, 111," Philosophical
Transactions of the Royal Society, London, Vol. 254, Series A,
(1961).
(B3) Chiu, Y. P., "Analysis and Prediction of Lubricant Film
Starvation in Rolling- Contact Systems," ASLE Transactions
17, 1 (1974).
(B4) Wedeven, L. D., Evan, D., and Cameron A., "Optical Analysis
of Ball Bearing Starvation," J. Lub. Tech. 93,3,349-361 (1961).
(B5) Kapitza, P. L., "Lubrication of Rollers and Spheres," 211.Tekk.
Fiz. 25, 757-762 (1955).
(B6) Smith, R. L., Walowit, J. A., Gupta, P. K., and McGrew, J. M.,
"Research on Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication of High Speed
Rolling-Sliding Contacts," Technical Report AFAPL-TR-71-54,
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, (1970).
(B7) McGrew, J. M., Gu, A., Cheng, H. S., and Murray, S. F.,
"Elastohydrodynamic Lubrication-Preliminary Design Manu-
al," Technical Report AFAPL-TR-79-27, Wright-Patterson
Air Force Base, (1970).
(B8) Kannel, J. W., and Walowit, J. A., "Simplified Analysis for
Traction Between Rolling-Sliding Elastohydrodynamic Con-
tacts," Journal of Lubrication Technology, Trans. ASME,
Series F, Vol. 93, No. 1, Jan (1971).