Analysis of temperature and vibration characteristics of ball-defect bearing under different oil–gas lubrication conditions

Purpose This study is aimed at investigating the influence of ball defects on the thermal and vibration characteristics of angular contact ball bearings under diverse oil–gas lubrication conditions. Design/methodology/approach A dynamic model that integrates defect kinematics and multiphase flow lubrication has been developed based on the Hamrock–Dowson theory. The Volume of Fluid method and the Renormalization Group *K-ε* model are used to simulate the oil–gas distribution, whereas the nonlinear vibration is calculated through the Newton–Raphson method. Experimental validation is carried out using a rotor–bearing test platform equipped with laser vibrometry and thermal imaging. Findings Based on the Hamrock-Dowson theory, a simulation model integrating the dynamics of ball defects bearing with oil-gas lubrication is developed. The temperature field and vibration characteristics are analyzed under various lubrication conditions. And the simulation agrees well with experiments. Some findings can be obtained. (1) Due to the defects increase the amplitude and change the nonlinear contact force, it results in system delay. (2) As the fuel injection volume appropriately rises, the lubricating state can strengthen the system’s stability. And in the spectrum diagram, the frequency amplitudes of the bearing’s nfc and nfc±mfb components decline steadily. Originality/value The research innovatively integrates ball defect dynamics with oil–gas two-phase flow lubrication and quantitatively analyzes the microoil cavity effect on defect surfaces. It reveals the mechanism by which lubrication alleviates temperature rise and vibration in defective bearings, providing a validated model for optimizing lubrication in faulty bearing systems. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: Link to a PDF of the cited article.