• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.487-495
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• 2003

Bearings at the obtuse corner are subjected to much larger vertical reactions than other bearings because of the geometric shape of skew bridges. The current relevant specifications require that additional bars should be disposed at the bottom of concrete deck slabs to deal with the large vertical reaction on bearings at the obtuse corner. In this study, new methods of reducing the magnitude of the vertical reaction on bearings at the obtuse corner by the stiffness adjustment of bearings were proposed. The basic concept of proposed methods was to redistribute support reactions by reducing the vertical stiffness of bearings at the obtuse corner showing a relatively large vertical reaction. For 45 simply supported skew bridges designed according to the current relevant specifications, the redistribution effect of vertical reactions by the stiffness adjustment of bearings was investigated. Parameters such as skew angle, girder spacing, and deck aspect ratio that affect the distribution of support reactions were considered. The results of the analyses show that the magnitude of the vertical reaction on bearings at the obtuse corner can be reduced to the levels of straight bridges by replacing the existing bearings at the obtuse corner with new ones having the value of 1/10 or 1/20 of the vertical stiffness of the existing bearings. The reduction effect of the vertical reaction on bearings at the obtuse corner increases as the girder spacing decreases and it is more pronounced when the deck aspect ratio is 2.0.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.324-329
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• 2009

In this study a complex design fitness analysis of journal bearings is carried out for the LPLi rotary-vane fuel pump application, as an external and horizontal installation, in LPG vehicles. Bearings considered in the analyses are plain and 3-axial groove journal bearings. Upon reflecting the fact that the primary failure mode of bearings in the application is a premature friction and wear failure of bearing metal due to a very low viscosity of liquid fuel LPG as a bearing lubricant, the performance factors of bearings used in an evaluation process of design fitness are a load carrying capacity and vibration suppression ability relative to a rated speed. At this time the design variables of bearings are a radial clearance and length. Results show that, in terms of both of the load carrying capacity and vibration suppression ability, the plain journal bearings are superior to the 3-axial groove journal bearings and among the plain bearings the smaller the bearing clearance (5>10>$15\;{\mu}m$) is and the longer the bearing length (6<8<10<12<14 mm) is, the better the bearing performance is.

• International Journal of Railway
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.10-21
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• 2012

Open steel plate girder (OPSG) bridges are the most prevalent railroad bridge type in Korea, constituting about 40% of all railroad bridges. Solid steel bearings, known as line type bearings, are placed in most OSPG railway bridges. However, the line type rigid bearings generate several problems with the bridge's dynamic behavior and maintenance in service. To compare and investigate the dynamic behaviors of line type, spherical and disk bearings, the vertical displacements of each bearing, including fixed and expansion type, under running vehicles are measured and analyzed. The displacements of disk and spherical bearings are measured after replacing the line type bearings with spherical and disk bearings. This study also analyzed dynamic behaviors of bridges. Furthermore, the deformation of the PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene) plate that is placed inside of expansion type spherical and disk bearings is measured and its effect on the dynamic behavior of the bridges is discussed. The up-lift phenomenon at the bearings installed for the steel bridges is estimated. The vertical displacements at mid-span of the bridges are compared according to the bearing types. Finally, the 1st mode natural frequencies are estimated, and the relationship to the vertical displacement is discussed.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.278-282
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• 2012

Various bearings such as deep-groove ball bearings, angular-contact ball bearings, and roller bearings are used to support the load and to lubricate between the shaft and the housing. The bearings of potential rolling systems in a turbo pump are the deep-groove ball bearings as comparing with the bearings with rolling elements such as cylindrical rollers, tapered cylindrical rollers, and needle rollers. The deep-groove ball bearings consist of rolling elements, an inner raceway, an outer raceway and a retainer that maintain separation and help to lubricate the rolling element that is rotating in the raceways. In the case of water-lubricated ball bearings, however, fluid friction between the ball and raceways is affected by the entry direction of flow, rotation speed, and flow rate. In addition, this friction is the key factor affecting the bearing life cycles and reliability. In this paper, the characteristics of flow conditions corresponding to a deep-groove ball bearing are investigated numerically, with particular focus on the friction distribution on the rolling element, in order to extend the analysis to the area that experiences solid friction. A simple analysis model of fluid flow inside the water-lubricated ball bearing is analyzed with CFD, and the flow characteristics at high rotation speeds are presented.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.123-132
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• 2023

In this study, the expansion, stress, and operating clearance of bearing elements during operation are observed using the inner/outer ring temperature test data of a 3.0×10⁶ DN-class roller bearing. The operating clearance characteristics of inner-/outer-ring cooling (IORC) bearings are compared to those of inner-ring cooling (IRC) bearings. For IRC bearings, the thermal expansion of the outer ring is the most important factor in clearance variation. As a result, the operating clearance is less than the initial clearance of 61 ㎛, and the operating clearance decreases to 0.5 ㎛ at 25,500 rpm. Conversely, the temperature of the outer ring of IORC bearings is lower than that of IRC bearings, so the operating clearance is kept smaller. When the coolant flow rate to the outer ring is approximately 1.5 to 2.0 L/min, the temperature difference between the inner and outer rings is minimized and the operating clearance is maintained at a significantly lower level than IRC bearings. Small operating clearances are expected to be effective in reducing cage slip and skid damage in roller bearings. The results and analysis procedures of this study can be utilized to design of bearing clearance, lubricant flow rate, and assembled interference in the early design stage of aerospace roller bearings.

• Proceedings of the Korean Powder Metallurgy Institute Conference
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• 2006.09a
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• pp.379-380
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• 2006

Recently, in spindle motors for hard disk drive (HDD) devices, fluid dynamic bearings (FDB) with herringbone grooves have come to be used instead of ball bearings due to the demand for high density recording of the devices etc. In this study, a 5-lobe bearing with high bearing stiffness using a sintered material was developed, and the bearing performance was examined by simulated calculations and experiments. As a result, it was clarified that the 5-lobe bearing had the required performance for practical use in the spindle motor for HDD

• The KSFM Journal of Fluid Machinery
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• v.9 no.5 s.38
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• pp.7-13
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• 2006

In the present study, we develop an analysis module to be applicable to design of sliding thrust bearings. The pressure equation is solved by using the finite element method. Average lubricant temperature is obtained from using the energy balance method. The module developed has been applied to three types of thrust bearing, such as tapered-land thrust bearings of angular and diamond types, and tilting-pad thrust bearings. Effects of the dam of the tapered-lad thrust bearings have also been investigated. It has been seen that the tapered-land thrust bearings of angular type result in the highest load capacity, while the tilting pad thrust bearings result in the lowest lubricant temperature. It has also been seen that the dam in the tapered-land thrust bearings increases both the load capacity and lubricant temperature.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.332-341
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• 2020

High-speed turbomachinery implements gas foil bearings (GFBs) due to their distinctive advantages, such as high efficiency, lesser part count, and lower weight. This paper provides the test results of the static structural stiffnesses and loss factors of bump-type foil thrust bearings with increasing preload and bearing deflection. The focus of the current work is to experimentally quantify variability in structural stiffnesses and loss factors among the four test thrust bearings with identical design values and material of the bump and top foil geometries using the same (open-source) fabrication method. A simple test setup, using a rigidly mounted non-rotating shaft and thrust disk, measures the bearing bump deflections with increasing static loads on the test bearing. The inner and outer diameters of the test bearings are 41 mm and 81 mm, respectively. The loss factor, best-representing energy dissipation in the test bearings, is estimated from the area inside the local hysteresis loop of the load versus the bearing deflection curve. The measurements show that structural stiffnesses and loss factors of the test bearings significantly rely on applied preloads and bearing deflections. Local structural stiffnesses of the test bearings increase with applied preloads but decrease with bearing deflections. Changes of loss factors are less sensitive to applied preloads and bearing deflections compared to those of structural stiffnesses. Up to 35% variability in static load structural stiffnesses is found between bearings, while up to 30% variability in loss factors is found between bearings.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2023

Fluid pumps in chemical processes are typically driven by electric motors. Even if the motor is separated from the pump with seals, wear resulting from friction and misalignment can lead to leakage of chemical fluid, causing corrosion in the bearing supporting the motor, and, eventually, failure of the motor. It is thus a standard procedure to replace bearings at regular intervals. In this article, we propose 3D-printed plastic ball bearings for use as an alternative to commercial stainless-steel ball bearings. The plastic bearings are easy to manufacture, require less time to replace, and are chemically resistant. To validate the applicability of the plastic bearings, we first conducted chemical resistance tests. Bearings were immersed in 30 caustic acid and 30 nitric acid for 30 min and 24 h, respectively. The test results showed no corrosive damage to the bearings. A test rig was set up to compare the performance of the plastic bearings with that of the commercially equivalent deep-groove ball bearings. Loading test results showed that the plastic bearings performed as well as the commercial bearing in terms of vibration level and load-handling capability. Finally, a plastic bearing was subjected to a clean-in-place process for three months. It actually outperformed the commercial bearing in terms of chemical resistance. Thus, 3D-printed plastic bearings are a viable alternative to stainless-steel ball bearings.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.183-189
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• 2023

A bearing is a mechanical component that transmits rotation and supports loads. According to the type of rotating mechanism, bearings are categorized into ball bearings and tapered roller bearings. Tapered roller bearings have higher load-bearing capabilities than ball bearings. They are used in applications where high loads need to be supported, such as wheel bearings for commercial vehicles and trucks, aircraft and high-speed trains, and heavy-duty spindles for heavy machinery. In recent times, the demand for reducing the driving friction torque in automobiles has been increasing owing to the CO₂ emission regulations and fuel efficiency requirements. Accordingly, the research on the driving friction torque of bearings has become more essential. Researchers have conducted various studies on the lubrication, friction, and contact in tapered roller bearings. Although researchers have conducted numerous studies on the friction in the lips and on roller misalignment and skew, studies considering the influence of roller shape, specifically roller shape errors including lips, are few. This study investigates the driving friction torque of tapered roller bearings considering roller geometric uncertainties. Initially, the study calculates the driving friction torque of tapered roller bearings when subjected to axial loads and compares it with experimental results. Additionally, it performs Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the influence of roller geometric uncertainties (i.e., the effects of roller geometric deviations) on the driving friction torque of the bearings. It then analyzes the results of these simulations.