Tapered Roller Bearing Torque Characteristics with Emphasis on Rib-Roller End Contact

This paper explains and quantifies the torque sources within a tapered roller bearing with emphasis on the torque performance of the rib-roller contact. The two major sources of torque, raceway contacts and rib-roller end contacts, are discussed and some general comments offered regarding the operating conditions for which each source is predominant.

A description is given of the geometry of the cone rib-roller end contact. The sliding that occurs within the contact ellipse is used to develop the discussion of the torque due to the rib-roller end contact.

Some specific examples are used to demonstrate the amount of torque contributed by each of the major sources.