A Design Criterion for Maintaining Contact at Plain Bearings

Abstract

Clearances at connections of mechanical systems may allow contact to be momentarily lost between the interconnected elements resulting in impact loading, the generation of noise and deterioration of the bearing surfaces. Determining, from a zero-clearance analysis of the mechanism, the reactive force R at a bearing and its rate of change of direction, the criterion is proposed that provided (/ R)/(rad s-1/N) > 1 then contact will be maintained at the bearing. The criterion is shown to apply to a four-bar and a five-bar mechanism having two clearance bearings and subjected to rotary and oscillatory inputs.