Some Aspects of the Performance of High-Speed Lightly Loaded Cylindrical Roller Bearings

The paper deals with the wear problems which are sometimes experienced when operating parallel cylindrical roller bearings at high speed, with jet lubrication, in turbine mainshaft bearing practice Tests show that considerable cage slip often takes place, as reported by previous investigators, the cage and roller assembly travelling at speeds lower than that predicted from the epicyclic relationship It is concluded that hydrodynamic lubrication normally occurs between the rollers and races when appreciable cage slip takes place. If the radial load on the bearing suddenly increases under these conditions, the hydrodynamic film is not always able entirely to prevent metallic contact and wear of the rollers and races Further experimental work is required before complete understanding of the problem can be obtained. Tentative recommendations, however, are made for minimizing the incidence of this type of wear in practice