Behind the bearing: using advanced software to simulate real-life working conditions

SKF bearings play a crucial role, serving as the silent workhorses that facilitate smooth and efficient motion in countless machines and devices. From the simplest household appliances like washing machines, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners to highly sophisticated machinery including MRI machines, wind turbines, jet engines and the rovers that traverse the terrains on Mars, bearings are the very fundamental units that define rotation. With bearings running at the heart of such complex systems, bearing malfunctions not only impact safety and productivity but also lead to significant additional maintenance costs. For instance, when a jet engine stops rotating due to a bearing failure, the entire unit must be dismantled to replace the faulty component. To avoid these undesirable circumstances, it becomes imperative to design bearings that can withstand a wide range of operating conditions. The only way to reliably perform this action in a fast and repeatable manner is by using robust simulation tools. Undertaking factory durability tests on every component is not only cumbersome and expensive but also environmentally unfriendly. Additionally, re-manufacturing a 5-ton wind turbine bearing to test every slight change isn’t trivial.

Alten consultants develop and maintain simulation software that assists SKF engineers and their numerous clients in designing bearings and bearing systems with various geometric configurations tailored to specific use cases. These tools allow them to meticulously simulate performance under a wide range of operating conditions. Two such simulation software programs are Noise-and-Vibration-Analysis and SKF Simpro. The former helps in designing and detecting bearing failures from a vibroacoustic standpoint; the latter focuses on bearing selection and designing bearing systems while catering to specific geometric constraints, taking into account the dynamics of roller bearings and mechanical systems. Noise-and-Vibration-Analysis In the design of products with rotating parts, noise and vibration characteristics are high-priority aspects. Roller bearings, due to their relatively low energy dissipation, are among the most used machine elements in rotating products. They transfer high forces and heavy loads, significantly influencing a machine’s vibration and acoustical behavior. This impact manifests in unwanted noise, which can cause discomfort and pose serious health hazards. Additionally, the rotation of bearings can be a source of vibrations that lead to mass imbalances and potential structural failure of machines. Mechanical resonance disasters vividly demonstrate the power of vibrations. Mechanical resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at greater amplitude when its natural frequency matches the frequency of external vibrations. This can cause violent swaying motions and catastrophic failures in improperly constructed structures, such as bridges, buildings and airplanes. A less frightening example is an opera singer breaking a glass with their voice. The Noise-and-Vibration-Analysis software is an internal SKF tool that assists engineers in designing and maintaining bearings to tackle these problems. For instance, the noise generated from a bearing in a wind turbine contains information that’s indiscernible to the human ear. However, the software employs sophisticated signal processing and vibroacoustic algorithms to decode this audio, detecting surface defects, dirt in the bearing, shaft misalignments, mounting problems, mass imbalances and critical speeds of the rotation system. Additionally, it helps engineers design new bearing systems by numerically modeling, simulating and predicting these issues under various operating conditions.