Insight | Tapered Roller Grinding #4 Key Consideration for Tapered Roller Raceway Centerless Superfinishing
#4. Tapered Roller Raceway Centerless Superfinishing
We've reviewed the various processes tapered roller grinding from multiple angles.
However, grinding alone doesn't complete the manufacturing process.
The final step in bearing production is superfinishing, which is essential for achieving the desired quality.
Let's explore the superfinishing process and the key conditions that need to be considered!
Centerless superfinishing process
The surface integrity of the tapered roller raceway has a significant impact on the operational performance, reliability and fatigue life of tapered roller bearings. Accordingly, the centerless superfinishing process, the final process that determines the surface integrity of the tapered roller, is very important, and various process developments and convergence of related technologies are being attempted to obtain ultra-fine surface quality at the nano μm level.
The continuous advancement and high-performance of industries such as aviation and aerospace, high-end machine tools, wind power, high-speed rail, and high-end automobiles are demanding ultra-high precision bearings.
However, the traditional surface finishing technology, centerless super finishing, is facing limitations in terms of quality. To overcome these limitations and achieve a higher level of quality, not only is there a focus on the ultra-precision of manufacturing equipment and process optimization, but also on exploring non-traditional finishing technologies such as double plate lapping and chemical polishing process based on the lapping platform.
Superfinishing process details
Currently, the manufacturing of taper rollers mainly uses traditional surface finishing technologies such as centerless grinding and centerless superfinishing, which are highly dependent on the structure and accuracy of the equipment.
In the through-feed centerless superfinishing process for tapered rollers, a pair of parallel spiral guide roller systems come into contact with the tapered surface of the roller. These guide rollers control the roller's alignment and drive its rotation.
The spiral flange of the front guide roller contacts the spherical reference surface of the large end surface of the tapered roller, guides the driving of the tapered roller to move smoothly along the axial direction of the guide roller, and serves to separate the movement distance from the adjacent tapered rollers.
The rectangular oil stones elastically press down the tapered rollers from directly above and perform high frequency, small-amplitude linear oscillations as the tapered roller moves forward.
Therefore, to achieve the desired machining accuracy, surface quality, and batch consistency of the tapered rollers, several factors need to be established:
the pressure and oscillation frequency of the oil stone, the entry angle of the tapered roller, the inclination angle of the two guide rollers, the design of the guide rollers to ensure consistent and stable contact between the oil stone and the tapered roller during axial movement, and the machining technologies required for achieving precise surface geometry.
The innovations of equipment and advancements in grinding technology for manufacturing ultra-high-quality tapered rollers are ongoing.
During the machining process, simulations of the tapered roller's behavior and movement path under various machining conditions are being used to maximize rotational stability. This involves not only optimizing the guide roller system but also exploring different types of work blade systems.
Additionally, developing predictive models that considering the wear process of the guide roller system and oil stone during the superfinishing process is essential. These models are crucial for improving the batch accuracy of the tapered roller's logarithmic crown profile.
Throughout the ‘Tapered Roller Grinding’ series, we’ve taken a comprehensive look at the process of tapered roller grinding.
ORSKOREA is dedicated to producing high-quality tapered roller bearing grinding machines, leveraging advanced technology to meet and exceed customer expectations. We are always striving to improve and innovate.
We appreciate your interest in our blog, and we're excited to share what comes next. Thank you for your interest, and we are looking forward to sharing more with you soon!
Written by Dennis Lee
Edited by Yoonseung Han
ORSKOREA
ORSKOREA is an ISO9001-certified company, and leading grinding machines and spindle manufacturer of Korea.
ORSKOREA's product range for grinding machines includes internal, external, centerless, surface horizontal double disc, surface vertical double disc, cylindrical grinding machines and super-finishing machines, turning machines, and special-purpose grinding machines.
For spindles, ORSKOREA manufactures high-frequency spindles, belt-driven spindles, built-in-motor spindles, and hydraulic spindles - all controllable at desired speeds.
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