Model for the vibration produced by a single point defect in a rolling element bearing

A model is developed to describe the vibration produced by a single point defect on the inner race of a rolling element bearing under constant radial load. The model incorporates the effects of bearing geometry, shaft speed, bearing load distribution, transfer function and the exponential decay of vibration. A comparison of predicted and measured demodulated vibration spectra confirms the satisfactory performance of the model.