Dynamic and wear characteristics of self-lubricating bearing cage: effects of cage pocket shape

The frequent impulse collisions and wear between the ball and cage pocket not only affect the bearing stability but also significantly impact the deterioration of the bearing service life. A comprehensive dynamic model for analyzing the stability, skidding degree, ball–cage collision, wear distribution, and wear rate of four types of cage pocket is proposed. A series of tests of cage whirling conducted on self-lubricating bearing test bench using high-speed photographic technology have proven the accuracy of the model. It is found that the cage with a combination of circle and rectangle pockets has the highest stability. The circle pocket has a larger collision area and higher wear rate than rectangle and diamond pockets. The combined rectangle–diamond pocket has a better wear resistance.