Mechanisms of Skidding in High-Speed Ball Bearings
Skidding Modes and Mechanisms in Ball Bearings
In angular contact ball bearings, the motion of balls within raceways involves differential sliding, spin sliding, and gyroscopic sliding .
Under high-speed conditions, centrifugal forces and gyroscopic moments significantly alter ball dynamics, leading to four distinct skidding modes:
|
Skidding Mode |
Physical Mechanism |
Directional Feature |
Key Influencing Factors |
|
1) Gyroscopic Sliding |
Gyroscopic moment exceeds friction torque, causing ball sliding along the major axis. |
Perpendicular to rolling direction |
Speed, contact angle, lubrication |
|
2) Drag Sliding |
Reduced ball-inner race contact load under centrifugal force triggers axial slippage. |
Along minor axis of contact ellipse |
Centrifugal force, preload, viscosity |
|
3) Rolling Sliding |
Increased spin/gyroscopic components reduce orbital speed. |
Coupled rolling-spin motion |
Dynamic drag coefficient, load variation |
|
4) Transient Sliding |
Sudden load shifts or cage collisions induce momentary slippage. |
Multidirectional |
Impact loads, acceleration, cage clearance |
Thermal-Mechanical Coupling: Skidding generates shear-induced temperature rise in oil films, reducing viscosity and film thickness. This may lead to metal-to-metal contact, raceway scoring, premature wear, and even system seizure.