Numerical Simulation of Oil Layer Decay on Bearing Raceway under Centrifugal Force and Quantitative Lubricant Replenishment

Using a thin layer free surface flow model, the lubricant flow driven by centrifugal force on a high-speed rolling bearing surface was numerically simulated. The layer thickness and lubrication state can be regulated by an external quantitative lubricant supply. The results show that the lubricant on the bearing surface was nonlinearly decayed under centrifugal force, pushing the contacts into starvation states. The surface tension was insignificant compared with the centrifugal force that the lubricant replenishment induced by surface tension can be ignored. Thus, the lubricant replenishment had to turn to the external lubricant supply. A lubricant loss-feed balance was reached by controlling the lubricant supply interval. The oil layer thickness and hence the contact states could be regulated with minimal amount and multi-time feeding. By this method, an optimal lubrication regime could be reached in rolling bearings.