Performance Evaluation of Geometric Tolerance for Automotive Wheel Bearing Seals

Automotive wheel bearings play an important role through transmitting power and carrying vehicle weight and automotive wheel bearing seals are to prevent lubrication from escaping and foreign material from entering. Bearings with low friction rotation are in great demand in the automotive market as a direct result of enforced vehicle fuel economy and reduced CO2 emissions regulations. Therefore, bearings with good sealing function and low friction rotation are required. In this study, the torque performance was evaluated considering the geometric tolerance of automotive wheel bearing seals. The deformation of the seals was analyzed using numerical analysis based on the finite element method. Three types of experiments for material properties of rubber were conducted to improve the reliability of deformation analysis for the rubber seals. To consider the geometric tolerance of the seals, Monte Carlo simulation was performed considering variations in dimension. Based on the simulation results, sensitivity analysis was conducted to analyze variables that affect the torque performance of the rubber seal. In conclusion, variation in the torque performance of the automotive wheel bearing seals was evaluated using the results of Monte Carlo simulation.