A contact analysis for unconventional mounting processes of angular ball bearings

Abstract Rigorous protocols must be followed when mounting ball bearings to avoid structural damage and subsequent malfunctioning or unexpected failures. Unconventional mounting procedures may produce excessive contact pressures between the elements of the bearing, therefore the whole process must be well-understood and modelled to prevent unwanted effects. Specifically for angular ball bearings, fitting axial forces should always be applied over the raceway subjected to the shrink-fit to avoid contact forces arising on the ball. In the present study, such an axial force is applied unconventionally, such that the axial force is transferred to the shrink-fit raceway through the balls. In this scenario, the evaluation of the contact areas and the pressure distributions is accomplished by exploiting both analytical and FEM approaches, supported by bespoke experimental tests to determine the relevant frictional coefficients and mounting forces. The study demonstrated how analytical methods can successfully replace more demanding FEM-based tools for the evaluation of the bearing mounting force and contact pressure and extent. FEM modelling can, however, be more accurate when dealing with more generic boundary conditions and more intricate geometrical features involved.