Modelling and Simulation Applied in Bearings as Interacting Machine Elements

Modelling and simulation play crucial roles in understanding the behaviour of bearings as interacting machine elements. These techniques help engineers and researchers analyse the performance of bearings under various conditions, predict their behavior, and optimise their design for enhanced reliability and efficiency. In this study an overview of experimental results involving various types of nanocomposite coatings applied to bearings have been conducted by deploying benchtop micro friction sliding contact reciprocating machine. These experiments involved various load configurations and experimental media, including uncontaminated oil, oil contaminated with sea water and sea salt solutions with varying water concentrations.

Modelling and simulation techniques can complement experimental investigations by providing insights into the underlying mechanisms governing the performance of these bearings and coatings to simulate the structural behaviour of bearings under varying loads, boundary conditions, and environmental factors. It helps predict stress distribution, deformation, and failure modes within the bearing components. By incorporating material properties obtained from experiments and numerical methods valuable insights into the mechanical response of bearings with nanocomposite coatings have been obtained.

Multi-body Dynamics (MBD) Simulation was employed to assess and model the dynamic behaviour of bearings within the context of the entire mechanical system. This approach allows for the assessment of factors such as vibration, noise, and the effects of varying operating conditions on the performance of bearings. It can help identify potential issues such
as resonance or excessive wear under specific loading scenarios.