Structural design of high-speed rolling bearing test rig spindle with cantilever

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to introduce the structure design process of the cantilever spindle with limited installation space and wishing to increase its critical speed. Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the finite element method was used to analyze the influence of the supporting stiffness and the structure of the spindle on the critical speed, and then the structure of the spindle was designed; moreover, the experiment was accomplished and the experiment results show that the spindle can work stably. Findings Through analyzing the influence of the supporting stiffness and the structure of the spindle on the critical speed, the following conclusions could be obtained: the shape of the first-mode is the bend vibration of the cantilever of the spindle; the first-order critical speed of the spindle gradually decreases with the diameter and length of the cantilever increasing; the first-order critical speed of the spindle increases with the depth and diameter of the blind hole increasing; and the experiment was accomplished and the experiment results show that the spindle can work stably. Originality/value In this paper, the finite element method was used to design the spindle of the testing machine, and satisfactory results were obtained. It can provide a theoretical reference for the design of a similar spindle.