This paper aims to address the problems of high operational energy consumption and wear failure caused by excessive friction torque in cylindrical roller bearings of wind turbine gearboxes by proposing a novel cylindrical roller bearing with a soft-rope cage.
A simulation model of bearing dynamics was established based on Hertz contact theory and elastic flow lubrication theory. Using the Masjedi wear model and combining it with the single-point observation method, the evaluation criteria of soft rope wear were constructed, and the effects of preload, slot inclination angle and spacer diameter on the friction and wear performance of bearings were investigated. Finally, the MOPSO algorithm was used to optimise the bearing-related parameters, and the CRITIC objective weighting method was used to select the optimal solution.
The results show that the preload force, slot inclination angle and spacer bar diameter have a significant effect on the friction and wear performance of the bearings, and the selection of appropriate parameters can significantly reduce the wear depth of the soft ropes and the friction torque of the bearings. The average frictional torque of the optimised cylindrical roller bearing with a soft-rope cage is less than that of the normal bearing under the working conditions of a radial load of 1,000 N and rotational speeds of 1,000–5,000 r/min.
This study can provide new ideas for friction reduction design of bearings.
The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/ILT-08-2025-0357/
