Study on Cage Stability of Solid-Lubricated Angular Contact Ball Bearings in an Ultra-Low Temperature Environment

Abstract

In the ultra-low temperature environment, the material properties of the bearing change, which puts forward higher requirements for the dynamic performance of the bearing cage. The bearings operating in ultra-low temperature environments commonly use solid lubricants. This study first focused on measuring the traction coefficients of molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) solid lubricant in a nitrogen atmosphere, and the Gupta fitting model is constructed to derive the traction equation. Subsequently, the dynamic differential equation of angular contact ball bearings was established, and the stability of the bearing cage in a nitrogen environment was simulated and analyzed based on the dynamic model. The accuracy of the simulation model was verified through comparison. The results show that less than 10% of errors exist between the experimental data and the traction curve fitted by the Gupta model, and the stability of the cage is closely related to operating parameters and bearing structure parameters. Cage stability increases with axial load but decreases with radial load. The cage stability is optimal when the radial internal clearance of the bearing is approximately 0.06 mm. When other conditions remain unchanged and the ratio of the cage pocket hole gap to the cage guide surface gap is 0.2, the cage stability is the best. The research results will provide a foundation for the design and application of solid-lubricated angular contact ball bearings in ultra-low temperature environments.