Planet needle roller bearing with waviness effect in the planetary gear system: Nonlinear dynamic modeling and simulation

Planet needle roller bearings (PNRBs) are important components of the planetary gear system (PGS). Waviness exists in PNRB races and can alter the contact and vibration properties of PNRBs. To address this issue, a dynamic model of a PNRB in a PGS is provided using a lumped parameter technique, which includes the roller-cage interaction and waviness effect. The dynamic model takes into account the interactions between the rollers and cage pockets in each PNRB. Furthermore, the waviness model is constructed and included in the roller-race contact deformation. A case of PGS and its PNRBs is adopted to investigate the roller-race contact forces, roller-cage impact forces, and cage dynamic relationships. In particular, the waviness effects on the roller-cage forces and vibrations are discussed. The results demonstrate that waviness has a significant influence on impact force characteristics and affects PNRB vibrations.