Tribology Online, 3, 6 (2008) 322-327.

ISSN 1881-2198
DOI 10.2474/trol.3.322

Vibration Analysis of Lubricated Angular Contact Ball Bearing of

Rigid Rotor Considering Waviness of Ball and Races
Rajesh Savalia1), Mihir Kumar Ghosh1) and Raj Kumar Pandey2)*
1)

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University

Varanasi-221 005, India
2)
Industrial Tribology, Machine Dynamics and Maintenance Engineering Centre (ITMMEC)
I.I.T. Delhi, New Delhi-110 016, India
*Corresponding author: rkpandey@itmmec.iitd.ernet.in
( Manuscript received 2 June 2008; accepted 24 September 2008; published 31 October 2008 )

This paper describes a nonlinear vibration analysis of angular contact ball bearing of a rigid rotor considering waviness
of ball and races. Five degrees of freedom dynamic model of the rotor-bearing system has been analyzed using Runge
Kutta algorithm and MATLAB software. Comparisons of peak amplitudes of the vibrations due to different defects are
presented for the lubricated condition of the bearing. Based on the computed results, it has been observed that in the
presence of lubricant film at the contacts of balls and races, vibrations reduce significantly. However, large amplitudes
of waviness and increase in spindle mass enhance the vibrations.
Keywords: nonlinear vibration, lubricated contact, ball bearing, waviness

1. Introduction
Reductions in noise and vibration of ball bearings
are essential for longer and reliable performance of
machinery. In spite of perfect geometry of ball bearings,
vibration and noise are commonly generated through the
interactions of the rolling elements. Rolling element
bearings during operation may generate localized
defects viz. cracks, pits and spalls, caused primarily due
to fatigue on the rolling surfaces. Another class of
bearing defects can be characterized as distributed
defects which involve entire structure of bearing such as
misalignment of races, eccentric races, off size of
rolling elements, out of roundness of elements, and
waviness etc. Waviness is a geometric imperfection that
comes in the existence due to manufacturing constraints,
but sometimes waviness on ball, inner race and outer
race of the bearings can develop due to operating
conditions.
Due to the manufacturing limitations, components of
the rolling element bearings are produced with waviness
having amplitudes of the order of nanometers that
produce
considerable
vibration
and
noise.
Determinations of stiffness and damping at the
concentrated contacts in rolling element bearings are
very vital for vibrations investigations. Yhland &
Johanson1) have demonstrated a characteristic change in
the vibration spectra due to damage in bearing.
Sunnersjo2) has reported that varying compliance is the

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fundamental cause of noise and unsteady running of

roller bearings. The author has also discussed the effects
of surface imperfections on vibration characteristics.
Gupta3-6) has presented detailed analyses pertaining to
the dynamics of rolling element bearings considering
interaction between ball/roller to cage and races.
Walford and Stone7) have investigated fitting clearance
on the damping and stiffness characteristics of angular
contact ball bearings. Rahnejat & Gohar8) have analyzed
theoretically the vibration response of a rotating rigid
shaft supported on two radial deep groove ball bearings.
They have considered presence of variable compliance
vibration as a source of excitation. Wardle9-10) has
investigated theoretically vibration forces produced due
to surface waviness of the rolling elements. He has
predicted the vibration frequencies due to the loaddeflection non-linearity of the ball bearing. Aini et al.11)
have presented five degrees of freedom model to
analyze the vibration in the spindle of precision
machine tools. Authors have identified major
frequencies associated with the various degrees of
freedom. Moreover, Yhland12) has used a linear theory
to estimate stiffness matrix of ball bearing with
waviness. He has investigated the effect of waviness
through his rotor dynamic model. A nonlinear analysis
is presented by Jang & Jeong13) to determine the
vibrations resulting from the waviness in a rigid rotor
supported by two or more bearings considering five
degrees of freedom. The model proposed by them can

322

Vibration Analysis of Lubricated Angular Contact Ball Bearing of Rigid Rotor Considering Waviness of Ball and Races

calculate the angular vibrations as well as translational

vibrations.
Based on the literature review, it is observed that the
studies in the area of vibrations of angular contact ball
bearings including waviness of ball and races under
lubricated contact conditions are limited pertaining to
the effects of the various operating parameters. Thus,
the objective of the present study is to investigate the
vibration characteristics of lubricated angular contact
ball bearing of rigid rotor by considering different
defects and spindle masses.

Figure 1 shows the rigid spindle system used in the

present analysis. It is supported on two back-to-back
preloaded angular contact bearings. The five degrees of
freedom are along the radial x and y directions, in the
vertical plan x-y, the axial z (or longitudinal)
direction and the rocking motions about y -axis and the
x-axis i.e. y and x respectively. This analysis
incorporates the following assumptions.

b.
c.
d.

YL = Y a1 sin(x ) ,

YR = Y + b1 sin(x )

,
Z R = Z0 + Z
Total deflection (j) in the contact angle direction of the
jth ball is written as below:
Z L = Z0 Z

j = {[A sin( 0 ) + ZL,R (d / 2)( y cos( j ) + x sin( j ))]2 + [A cos( p ) +

e cos( p ) + X L,R cos( j ) + YL,R sin( j )]2 }1/ 2 A

(3)

2. Mathematical formulations

a.

Where, A=ror+rirD
Displacements at support bearings (left and right), as
shown in Fig.1, are given by the following expressions.
X L = X + a1 sin( y ) ,
X R = X b1 sin( y )

Balls in each bearing are always positioned equipitched around the shaft.
The spindle is rigid and the balls are mass less.
Centrifugal effects and torsional vibrations of the
spindle are negligible.
Damping in various joints is negligible. However,
damping due to lubricant squeeze film at the ball to
race contact is considered.

Where, j=ct+(j)(2/n)
The corresponding contact angle is:
A sin( 0 ) + ZL,R (d / 2)( y cos( j ) + x sin( j ))
tan( j ) =

A cos( p ) + e cos( p ) + X L,R cos( j ) + YL,R sin( j )

(4)
In the equations (3) and (4) + sign is used for left
bearing and sign is used for right bearing.
Equations of motion for the five degrees of freedom of
the spindle-bearings system are written as below:
n

&& = {W cos( ) cos( )} {W cos( ) cos( )} + Mg F(t)

MX
j
j
j
j
j
j
L

j=1

j=1

(5)
n

&& = {W cos( ) sin( )} {W cos( ) sin( )} Q(t)

MY
j
j
j
j
j
j
L

j=1

j=1

(6)
n

&& = {W sin( )} {W sin( )} T(t)

MZ
j
j
j
j
L

j=1

j=1

(7)
I y&&
y I x c&&
x
n

= a1 {Wj cos( j ) cos( j )} + b1 {Wj cos( j ) cos( j )} (a + a1 )F(t)

L

j=1

j=1

(d / 2) {Wj sin( j ) cos( j )} + (d / 2) {Wj sin( j ) cos( j )}

L

j=1

j=1

(8)

(a) Coordinate system

I x &&
x I z c&&
y
n

= a1 {Wj cos( j ) sin( j )} b1 {Wj cos( j ) sin( j )} + (a + a1 )Q(t)

L

j=1

j=1

+ (d / 2) {Wj sin( j ) sin( j )} (d / 2) {Wj sin( j ) sin( j )}

j=1

(b) Rocking about y-axis and x-axis

Fig.1 Rigid spindle system with five degrees of freedom
Both bearings have been interference fitted and
preloaded. Thus, relation Z0=esin(p) is applicable at
all ball contacts. Force balance in axial direction is
governed by the value of applied preload (Pr) as below:
Pr = nK3/e 2 sin( p )
(1)
The initial deflection (e) at the contact is given by:

e = A ( cos( 0 ) / cos( p ) ) 1

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(2)

j=1

(9)
Waviness model
The inner race waviness in contact with the jth ball is
defined along the locus of the inner groove radius center
as follows:
A i cos[l(i c )t + 2( j 1) / n + i ]
(10)
th
The position of the j ball is expressed with the angle of
2(j1)/n+i. Equations (11) to (14) provide multi
waviness(radial and axial) for each race12,14).
wo

p oj = A ol cos[l(o c )t + 2l( j 1) / n + ol ]

(11)

l=1

wo

pij = A il cos[l(i c )t + 2l( j 1) / n + il ]

(12)

l=1

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Rajesh Savalia, Mihir Kumar Ghosh and Raj Kumar Pandey

wo

q oj = Bol cos[l(o c )t + 2l( j 1) / n + ol ]

(13)

l=1

wo

q ij = A il cos[l(i c )t + 2l( j 1) / n + il ]

(14)

l=1

The angular velocities of cage and ball are given as

below15):
c = 0.5{i (1 D cos( 0 ) / d ) + 0 (1 + D cos( 0 ) / d )}

b = 0.5(d / D) i (1 D cos( 0 ) / d ) + 0 (1 + D cos( 0 ) / d )

2

Ball waviness in contact with the inner and outer races is

defined as follows13):
wo

u j = C jl [cos(lb t + jl ) + cos {lb (t + / b ) + jl }]

(15)

l=1

Considering waviness, equations (3) and (4) are modified

and are written as below:
j = {[A sin( 0 ) + ZL,R + q ij + q oj (d / 2)( y cos( j ) + x sin( j ))]2 +
[A cos( p ) + e cos( p ) + X L,R cos( j ) + YL,R sin( j ) + pij + poj ]2 }1/ 2
A + uj

(16)
A sin( 0 ) + ZL,R + q ij + q oj (d / 2)( y cos( j ) + x sin( j ))
tan( j ) =

A cos( p ) + e cos( p ) + X L,R cos( j ) + YL,R sin( j ) + pij + p oj

(17)
Lubricated contact model
In a lubricated bearing the balls going into and out
of the loaded regions are subjected to regimes of
lubrication. Normally, iso-viscous conditions dominate
in the unloaded regions. But a combination of isoviscous and EHL regimes is employed here for covering
the regimes of lubrication spectrum. Following formula
has been used in the present modeling to simulate the
film thickness in vibrating ball bearings14):
G *2 h *min = 14.04(U*G *4 )0.649 (W*G *3 )0.045 (1 0.68e

0.669e*p

x(1 0.75e132w s

(18)
For meanings of various symbols appearing in equation
(18), reference14) may be seen.
A single equation which represents the restoring
contact force for the jth contact under lubricated
conditions has been employed14) here and is written as
below:
Wij = K * x[(1 A j ) / h j ] + Ciso x[(1 B j ) / h j ]1/ 2
(19)
'

First term of equation (19) represents EHL contribution.

However, second term of this equation corresponds to the
iso-viscous contribution. Paper14) can be referred for
more details of load variation in a lubricated contact.
The model described in this work assumes a total
deflection ij in the contact angle direction of jth ball. It
comprises of total elastic deflection and total film
thickness at the contact. Mathematically, it is expressed
as below:
ij = j + h ij + h oj
(20)
Total deflection for jth contact under lubricated condition
is expressed as:

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tj = h ij + h oj (A u j ) +
{[A sin( 0 ) + Z L,R + q ij + q oj (d / 2)( y cos( j ) + x sin( j ))]2 +
[A cos( p ) + e cos( p ) + X L,R cos( j ) + YL,R sin( j ) + pij + p oj ]2 }1/ 2

(21)
However, the corresponding contact angle with
lubricated case will remain unchanged and is given by
equation (17).
In the present model, the balls to raceways contacts
have been considered as non-linear which obey
following Hertzian relationship:
Wtj = K3/tj 2
(22)
As the radial disposition of ball varies the load
distribution in the bearing alters and relative movement
occurs between the inner and outer races. The rate of
change of load in the contact direction of each ball to
races contacts is given by time differentials of equations
(19) and (22). Equating these differentials yields the

following relation:
(23)

&&
h j = (2 j + 3 j ) / 1j

Where,
1j = A jK * (1 A j )1 (1 B j )1/ 2 h 3/j 2 + 0.5Ciso B jh +1

(24)

2 j = 1.5h j 1 1 (1 B j )1/ 2 (& tj )( tj )1/ 2 K

(25)

3 j = h& j (1 B j )1/ 2 K* (1 A j ) h1/j 2 + 0.5Ciso h j (1 B j )1/ 2

(26)

Where, l=(2+5)/2 and & j is obtained by differentiation

of equation (21) with respect to time.
For nomenclature of symbols appearing in equations (23)
to (26), paper14) can be referred.
3. Computational procedure
Specifications of bearing and spindle system are
provided in Table 1 and Table 2.
To compute the vibration response of the model, the
Table 1 Specification of angular contact ball bearing
Inner race diameter (di), m
Outer race diameter (d0), m
Ball diameter (D),m
Bearing width, m
No. of balls in a bearing (n)
No. of bearing
Inner race groove radius (rir), m
Outer race groove radius (ror), m
Surface finish of ball, m
Surface finish of races,m
Unloaded contact angle (0)
Inner race angular velocity (i), rad/sec
Outer race angular velocity (o), rad/sec
Spinning velocity of ball (b), rad/sec
Cage angular velocity (c), rad/sec
E of bearings materials N/m2
Poissons ratio for bearings materials ()
Maximum amplitude of waviness, m
Initial phase angle of waviness
Viscosity pressure coefficient (), Pa-1
Absolute viscosity (0), Pa-s

0.046
0.062
0.00794
0.015
16
2
0.00408
0.00461
0.0625
0.0625
150
209.4395
0.00
697.8336
89.467
2.06 1011
0.33
0.5 10-7
00
15 10-9
0.37

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Vibration Analysis of Lubricated Angular Contact Ball Bearing of Rigid Rotor Considering Waviness of Ball and Races

governing equations of motion (equations (5) to (9)), the

contact angle and deflection relations (equations (17)
and (21), as well as the load equation (19) are solved in
an iterative step-by-step procedure in time.
Simultaneous solution of equations (21) and (22)
provides value of initial Hertzian contact load in terms
of hij and hoj. The value of this contact load is put in
equation (19). Right hand side of equation (19) yields
different values for contact between inner race and ball
& outer race and ball due to different values of K* and
Ciso at the contacts.
Equation (21) is solved using MATHEMATICA
software. By solving this equation, initial film thickness
between inner race & ball as well as between outer race
& ball are obtained. The initial squeeze velocity ( h& j) is
taken as zero. The values of initial film thickness
between inner race & ball and between outer race & ball
are obtained as 210-6 m and 1110-7 m, respectively.
The different waviness is obtained using equations
(11) to (15). The maximum amplitude of waviness is
taken as 0.510-7 m. Initial contact angle & deflection
are obtained using equations (17) and (21) by taking
initial displacements & velocities as zero. Different
& , Y
& , Z& , & , & , film thickness
displacements X
0
0
0
x0
y0
(hj), and different velocities X, Y, Z, x, y, hj at time
(t+t) are calculated through equations (5) to (9) and
equation (23) using 4th order Runge-Kutta method. Nonlinear differential equations of motion are solved using
MATLAB programming. Above steps have been
iterated with time for obtaining the values of
displacements, velocities, and film thickness between
races and ball.

Fig.2 X-Oscillation time history without surface defect

[F= 50 N, Pr= 100 N, 2000 RPM, hij (initial) =2 10-6 m,
h0j (initial) =11 10-7 m]

Fig.3 Z-Oscillation time history without surface defect

[F= 50 N, Pr= 100 N, 2000 RPM, hij (initial) =2 10-6 m,
h0j (initial) =11 10-7 m]

Table 2 Details of spindle system

Diameter of shaft at bearing location, m
Length of shaft, m
Mass of shaft, kg
Moment of inertia of shaft about Ix and Iy, kg-m2
Moment of inertia of shaft about Iz, kg-m2
Position of left bearing from the C.G. (a1), m
Position of right bearing from the C.G. (b1), m
Position of applied ext. forces to left bearing (a), m
Position of applied external forces to C.G. (a+a1), m

0.04
0.421
5.5
0.05177
0.0044
0.0875
0.1275
0.174
0.2615

Fig.4 Y-Oscillation time history without surface defect

[F= 50 N, Pr= 100 N, 2000 RPM, hij (initial) =2 10-6 m,
h0j (initial) =11 10-7 m]

4. Results and discussion

Present program has been validated with the results
of reference14). Due to page constraints of this journal,
validated results are not being provided herewith.
Figures 2 to 4 illustrate the results obtained under
external upward force (F) = 50 N, axial preload (Pr) =
100 N and spindle speed (N) of 2000 RPM. It is
apparent that the presence of lubricant film works as
damping medium, which diminishes the vibration
amplitudes. Frequency spectra of X-oscillations are
obtained by FFT as shown in Figs. 5 to 7. These figures
demonstrate the amplitudes of vibration in x-direction
and reveal that the frequency at which peak amplitude
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Fig.5 X-Oscillation frequency spectrum without any

defect [F= 50 N, Pr= 100 N, 2000 RPM, hij (initial) =2
10-6 m, h0j (initial) =11 10-7 m]
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Rajesh Savalia, Mihir Kumar Ghosh and Raj Kumar Pandey

5. Conclusions
A nonlinear model having five degrees of freedom of
a spindle and angular contact ball bearing system has
been investigated considering radial & axial waviness in
different elements of bearing & unbalance force to
estimate vibration amplitudes for lubricated contacts.
Based on the present analysis the following conclusions
have been drawn.

Fig.6 X-Oscillation frequency spectrum without any

defect [F= 50 N, Pr= 100 N, 2000 RPM, hij (initial) =2
10-6 m, h0j (initial) =11 10-7 m]

Presence of lubricant film works as damping

medium, which diminishes the vibration amplitudes.
Increment in spindle mass results in higher
amplitudes of vibrations.
Due to different form error external periodic
forcing function is applied to spindle which
increases amplitude of vibration.

6. Nomenclature

Fig.7 X-Oscillation frequency spectrum without any

defect [F= 50 N, Pr= 100 N, 2000 RPM, hij (initial) =2
10-6 m, h0j (initial) =11 10-7 m]
occurs reduces with increase in spindle mass. Frequency
for the second peak also decreases with increase in the
spindle mass and almost vanishes at 20 kg of spindle
mass as can be seen in Fig. 7.
Table 3 lists the peak amplitudes of X, Y, and Z
obtained from FFT for the different defects. It appears
that the radial waviness in inner race yields high
amplitude of vibrations in comparison to other defects.
Table 3 Peak amplitudes with different defects
(F= 50 N, Pr= 100 N, RPM=2000, hij (initial) =2 10-6
m, h0j (initial) =11 10-7 m, spindle mass=5.5 kg,
Waviness amplitude =0.5 10-7 m)
Defect
(WO = 2)
Radial
waviness in
outer race
Radial
waviness in
inner race
Axial waviness
in outer race
Axial waviness
in inner race
Ball waviness

X(m)

Y(m)

Z(m)

4.80 10-8

7.80 10-10

7.00 10-10

7.00 10-8

1.20 10-9

9.05 10-10

5.30 10-8

1.03 10-9

8.50 10-10

5.60 10-8

1.10 10-9

8.30 10-10

6.00 10-8

9.00 10-10

8.15 10-10

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Ai
inner race waviness, m
Ail,Ao1 amplitudes of radial waviness of inner/outer
races
Bil,Bo1 amplitudes of axial waviness of inner/outer
races
Cjl
amplitude of ball waviness, m
d
pitch circle diameter of bearing, m
D
diameter of ball, m
F(t)
external force exerted in x-direction, N
hij
film thickness between jth ball and inner race,
m
hoj
film thickness between jth ball and outer race,
m
Ix,Iy,Iz moments of inertia, kg-m2
K
stiffness between ball and race, N/m
l
waviness order
M
mass of shaft, kg
n
number of balls
pij
radial waviness of the inner race , m
poj
radial waviness of the outer race , m
Pr
preload, N
qij
axial waviness of the inner race , m
qoj
axial waviness of the outer race , m
Qt
external force exerted in y direction
rir
inner raceway groove radius, m
ror
outer raceway groove radius, m
t
time, second
T(t)
external thrust force in the z direction, N
uj
waviness of jth ball in contact
Wtj
force at the jth contact under lubricated
conditions
wo
waviness order
x,y,z
cartesian coordinate
X,Y,Z displacement along x, y, z axes
Z0
eflection in axial direction due to applied
preload
i
initial phase angle of inner race waviness
il
initial phase angle of inner race with the jth ball
j
contact angle at jth ball

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Vibration Analysis of Lubricated Angular Contact Ball Bearing of Rigid Rotor Considering Waviness of Ball and Races

0
o1
p
il
ol
jl
c
j
tj
i
b
c
o
x,y

free contact angle

initial phase angle of outer race with the jth ball
Preloaded contact angle
initial phase angle of inner race with the jth ball
initial phase angle of outer race with the jth ball
initial phase angle of ball waviness
initial contact deflection
deflection in the contact angle direction at jth
ball
total deflection in the contact angle direction at
jth ball
inner race angular velocity, rad/sec
angular speed of ball, rad/sec
cage angular velocity, rad/sec
outer race angular velocity, rad/sec
angle of rocking about x and y axes,
respectively

Subscripts
o
refers to outer raceway
i
refers to inner raceway
j
refers to balls position
L
refers left bearing
R
refers right bearing
7. References
[1] Yhland, E. and Johanson, L., Analysis of Bearing
Vibration, Aircraft Engineering, 1970, 18-20.
[2] Sunnersjo, C. S., Varying Compliance Vibration
of Rolling Bearing, J. of Sound and Vibration, 58,
1978, 363-373.
[3] Gupta, P. K., Dynamics of Rolling Element
Bearings, Part I: Cylindrical Roller Bearing
Analysis, Trans. ASME, J. of Lubrication
Technology, 101, 1979, 293-304.
[4] Gupta, P. K., Dynamics of Rolling Element
Bearings, Part II: Cylindrical Roller Bearing
Results, Trans. ASME, J. of Lubrication
Technology, 101, 1979, 305-311.
[5] Gupta, P. K., Dynamics of Rolling Element
Bearings, Part III: Ball Bearing Analysis,

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Trans. ASME, J. of Lubrication Technology, 101,

1979, 312-318.
[6] Gupta, P. K., Dynamics of Rolling Element
Bearings, Part IV: Ball Bearing Results, Trans.
ASME, J. of Lubrication Technology, 101, 1979,
319-326.
[7] Walford, T. L. H. and Stone, B. J., Sources of
Damping in Rolling Element Bearings under
Oscillating Conditions, Proc. Inst. Mech. Engrs.,
197(C), 1980, 225-235.
[8] Rahnejat, H. and Gohar, R., The Vibration of
Radial Ball Bearings, Proc. Inst. Mech. Engrs.,
199, 1985, 181-193.
[9] Wardle, F. P., Vibration Forces Produced by
Waviness of Rolling Surfaces of Thrust Loaded
Ball Bearing, Part1: Theory, Proc. Inst. Mech.
Engrs., 02 (C5), 1988, 305-312.
[10] Wardle, F. P., Vibration Forces Produced by
Waviness of Rolling Surfaces of Thrust Loaded
Ball Bearing, Part 2: Experimental Validation,
Proc. Inst. Mech. Engrs., 202 (C5), 1988, 313-319.
[11] Aini, R., Rahnejat, H. and Gohar, R., A Five
Degrees of Freedom Analysis of Vibration in
Precision Spindles, Int. J. of Machine Tool
Manufacture, 30, 1990, 1-18.
[12] Yhalnd, E., A Linear Theory of Vibrations Caused
by Ball Bearings with Form Errors Operating at
Moderate speed, Trans. ASME, J. of. Tribology,
114, 1992, 348-359.
[13] Jang, G. H. and Jeong, S. W., Non-linear
Excitation Model of Ball Bearing Waviness in a
Rigid Rotor Supported by Two or More Ball
Bearings Considering Five Degrees of Freedom,
Trans. ASME, J. of Tribology, 124, 2002, 82-90.
[14] Aini, R., Rahnejat, H., and Gohar, R., Vibration
Modeling of Rotating Spindles Supported by
Lubricated Bearings, Trans. ASME, J. of
Tribology, 124, 2002, 158-165.
[15]Harris, T. A., Rolling Bearing Analysis, 3rd
Edition, Wiley, New York, 1991.

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