Dynamic modeling and vibration analysis of an RV reducer with defective needle roller bearings

The rotate vector (RV) reducer's needle roller bearings (NRBs) are vulnerable to wear and flaws such as fatigue spalling of the raceway material. Studying the vibration mechanism and the excitation laws of NRB failures is essential to enhancing the RV reducer's performance and comprehending its operating state. This paper presents a dynamic model of the RV reducer based on the theory of contact multibody dynamics. It integrates internal and external raceway defects and takes into account the synchronous contact interaction between NRB groups and the crankshaft and cycloidal gears, as well as the time-varying mesh stiffness in the planetary gear transmission and cycloidal pin transmission. The study demonstrates that the rolling of bearings and the meshing of internal transmission components are the primary causes of vibration in a healthy RV reducer through experimental verification and dynamic simulation analysis of the system with and without NRB failures. Both the crankshaft rotation frequency and the cycloidal gear rotation frequency affect the vibration excitation source's characteristic frequency. The vibration amplitude of the RV reducer is influenced by bearing flaws on a periodic basis. The impact of internal raceway defects is greater than that of external raceway faults, resulting in a notable rise in vibration amplitude.