Abstract
Friction torques, electrical contact resistances and bearing temperatures were measured on high speed angular contact ball beatings for the spindle of machine tools. The test bearings ran with oil-air lubrication at the thrust loads from 320 N to 1920 N and at the rotational speed of up to 12000 rpm. Electrical contact resistances between balls and races were measured to evaluate the formation of the lubricant film in the contact area. The test results with sufficient lubrication showed that the variations of friction torques were sensitive to the thrust loads and the rotational speeds, and that the friction torques were higher than those with insufficient lubrication. With insufficient lubrication and high thrust loads, the collapse of the lubricant film was detected even at a high rotational speed. It was concluded that these high speed beatings to run in condition of fluid lubrication should require monitoring not only the temperature increase of the bearing but also the lubricant film formation in contact areas resulting from the change in the applied load and the lubricant amount.
