Title: Lubricant distribution evolution in asymmetric double-row tapered roller bearings during the loss of lubrication process

Authors: Xueqiang Bai; Fengxia Lu; Mou Li; Wenlin Zhu; Rupeng Zhu

Addresses: National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Helicopter Transmission, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao St., Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210000, China ' National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Helicopter Transmission, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao St., Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210000, China ' National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Helicopter Transmission, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao St., Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210000, China ' National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Helicopter Transmission, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao St., Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210000, China; National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Helicopter Transmission, AECC Hunan Aviation Powerplant Research Institute, Zhuzhou, China ' National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Helicopter Transmission, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, 29 Yudao St., Jiangsu Province, Nanjing, 210000, China

Abstract: Double row tapered roller bearings have excellent load-carrying behaviour and are widely used in helicopter tail drive systems. If the helicopter is attacked, the bearings are working at loss of lubrication condition. This study using the R10 method to discretise the amount of oil to explore the evolution of lubricating oil distribution in the support bearing of a helicopter tail drive system under lubrication loss conditions based on the idea of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and considers the revolution and rotation speed of bearings. The lubricant distribution on the large rollers, small rollers, and inner ring walls on both asymmetrical sides was analysed, and the quantity of oil and lubricant inside the bearing were estimated. It is found that the recommended speed range of bearing is 4,000-5,000 r/min, and the value for the number of rollers in the bearing was determined to be no more than 22 large rollers and no more than 25 small rollers.

Keywords: asymmetric; double-row tapered roller bearing; loss of lubrication; lubricant distribution; rotation; computational fluid dynamics; CFD.

DOI: 10.1504/IJDE.2023.131954

International Journal of Design Engineering, 2023 Vol.12 No.1, pp.49 - 68

Received: 07 Sep 2021
Received in revised form: 12 Aug 2022
Accepted: 31 Aug 2022
Published online: 05 Jul 2023 *