A new model for the relationship between vibration characteristics caused by the time-varying contact stiffness of a deep groove ball bearing and defect sizes

Vibration characteristics of a deep groove ball bearing caused by a localized surface defect are greatly affected by defect sizes, such as the length, width, and depth. However, effects of the defect depth, the time-varying contact stiffness between the ball and defect, and the relationship between the time-varying contact stiffness and defect sizes have not been considered in previous defect models. In this work, a new defect model considering a new force-deflection relationship is presented to replace the Hertzian force-deflection relationship to describe the ball-line contact between the ball and defect edge. Both the time-varying displacement impulse and time-varying contact stiffness are considered. The relationship between the time-varying contact stiffness and defect sizes is obtained. Effects of defect sizes on the vibrations of the deep groove ball bearing, especially the defect depth that cannot be described by previous defect models, are investigated. The simulation results are compared with those from the previous defect models. The results show that the model developed can predict a more realistic impulse caused by a localized surface defect for dynamic simulation of the deep groove ball bearing. An experimental investigation is also presented to validate the proposed model.