Study on vibration mechanism induced by skidding in pure rolling contact

Skidding in a rolling bearing often causes unexpected surface wear and uneven vibration. To explore the fundamental interaction mechanisms, an investigation is conducted experimentally and numerically on the tribo-dynamic responses of a simplified sliding-rolling contact. Vibration analyses show that the tangential vibration contains not only the rotational frequency of the roller but also the higher harmonics excited by the sliding-rolling contact. Surface contact stress analysis is also carried out with a twin-discs model. Results show that, with sliding occurring in the rolling contact, the unstable shear stress variation is induced and becomes the root cause of the tangential vibration. Further wear checks reveal that the wear failure under sliding-rolling contact coincides with the shear effect of contact interfaces.