Many machine tool spindles are supported in the housing by rolling-element bearings. Cutting forces, spindle unbalance and spindle preload impose cyclic loads on the bearing's balls and races. Over time, the cyclic loading produces fatigue failure, damaging the surfaces of races and balls. This kind of damage causes vibration and noise, limits bearing life and eventually requires bearing replacement.
Imported from the CTE archive to seed discussion on MFGAxis.
Originally published on CTE: 2014-02-15
CTE source: https://ctemag.com/articles/vibrations-indicate-bearing-damage/
Legacy path: /articles/vibrations-indicate-bearing-damage