Effect of internal excitation induced by non-uniform contact of roller bearings on nonlinear vibration and stability of rotor system under combined loads

The misalignment of roller bearing rings will results in moment load, together with the unbalance and external loads, forming the combined dynamic loads. The complex combined load can cause non-uniform contact of rollers and rings, which reduces the bearing's life and significantly affect the vibration of rotor systems. This paper mainly studies the roller bearing internal contact performances under combined loads and the influence of internal excitation on the nonlinear vibration of rotor systems. First, the "slices" method is used to establish the mechanical model of roller bearings, which considers the radial clearance and nonlinear Hertz contact. The obtained time-varying bearing nonlinear support reaction is introduced into the rotor concentrated mass model, and a roller bearing–rotor system dynamic model is proposed. Further, the system's complex nonlinear vibrations, such as bifurcation and chaos, are analyzed by spectrum, orbits, bifurcation, and Poincare map. The roller bearing contact performances and stability under the influence of ring tilt angle, rotational speed, and unbalance, are analyzed by contact load statistical features. Finally, based on a rolling bearing–rotor test rig, the vibration experiment considering the combined load was performed, and the experiment results are compared with simulation results to verify the proposed model and conclusions.