Experimental and numerical studies on the roller-cage collision mechanism in a cylindrical roller bearing

In rolling bearings, the roller-cage collision is one of the primary causes leading to cage damage. However, the mechanisms behind remain unclear, particularly under high radial loads. In this work, a roller-cage collision experiment is conducted by measuring the cage beam force. Two distinct roller-cage collision modes are found: under low radial loads, the rollers primarily drive the cage’s motion within the load zone; whereas under high radial loads, the cage beam initially encounters resistance before being driven by the roller. Bearing tribo-dynamic simulations reveal that the two distinct roller-cage collision modes are primarily caused by changes in contact deformation, which affects the relative surface velocities of the inner and outer raceways. The multi-modal characteristics of roller-cage collisions revealed in this work, as well as the mechanisms behind them, are common in various types of radial bearings.