Static Rolling Bearing Models in a C.A.D. Environment for the Study of Complex Mechanisms: Part II—Complete Assembly Model

This is the second part of two companion papers, the first of which is “Static Rolling Bearing Models in a C.A.D. Environment for the Study of Complex Mechanism: Part I—Rolling Bearing Model.” A general methodology for the accurate modeling of the nonlinear behavior of ball and roller bearings is proposed. A stiffness matrix is defined both for each rolling element and for the complete rolling bearing. Thus, it can be introduced into standard finite element models of complex mechanical systems, with the aim of predicting mechanical behavior and load and strain distributions. This method is applied to two cases of helicopter and automobile gearboxes. Deformable bearing rings considerably modify contact angle and load distribution, thus the coefficient values of the stiffness matrix are different from the classical values. The paper highlights how important it is to consider an overall model of the mechanical system rather than a local one in the vicinity of the bearings.