Analytical Prediction of Fatigue Life for Roller Bearings Considering Impact Loading

During the actual operating conditions, it is inevitable that rolling bearings will be subjected to impact loading. However, due to the very short duration of impact loading, previous studies have almost ignored the influence of impact loading on fatigue life of roller bearings. This paper attempts to construct a numerical framework to address the above issues, thereby providing a theoretical basis for predicting fatigue life of roller bearings under frequent impact loading. A quasi-dynamic model of roller bearings is established to capture the instantaneous fluctuation in roller–raceway contact loads due to impact loading. Then, the influence of impact loading on the fatigue life of roller bearings is accurately characterized based on Miner’s rule. The results show that the frequent impact loading causes a significant decrease in the fatigue life of roller bearings, and the extent of fatigue life decrease depends on the bearing speeds and load conditions. To accurately predict the fatigue life of roller bearings under actual operating conditions, it is necessary to account for the influence of the impact loading, especially for high speeds and light load conditions.