Determination of hydraulic losses in radial cylindrical roller bearings using CFD simulations

In this paper, an efficient method for the investigation of flow conditions and load-independent losses in roller bearings using CFD simulations is proposed. An entire bearing model taking into account the influence of the adjacent construction on the flow fields is built up using a time consuming dynamic mesh approach. The resulting flow fields of this model are mapped to a less expensive single bearing chamber model set up in a rotating reference frame. This allows the use of a high mesh resolution for the bearing chamber by simultaneously considering the adjacent construction, such that hydraulic losses can be calculated accurately with reasonable simulation times. The flow fields of both models are compared and the hydraulic losses are determined. In addition, the loss distribution among the bearing elements is analysed.