Mechanical performance analysis of hollow cylindrical roller bearing of cone bit by FEM

Bearings are key components of cone bit, thus its rapid failure is a major cause of leading to lower life of the bit. To improve the bearing performance and prolong working life, contact mechanics of hollow cylindrical roller bearing of cone bit was simulated. Effects of hollow size, drilling pressure, friction coefficient and fitting clearance on mechanics performance of the bearing were studied. The results show that the maximum equivalent stress of the hollow cylindrical roller bearing appears on the claw journal, and the maximum contact stress appears on the contact pair of the hollow roller. Besides, hollow sizes have a greater impact on the equivalent stress and contact stress of the cylindrical roller, while the influence on the stress of the cone and claw journal is relatively small. With the increasing of the drilling pressure and fitting clearance, equivalent stress and contact stress of bearing parts increase. The friction coefficient has little impact on mechanical performance of the bearing. As the 121/4SWPI517 type hollow cylindrical roller bearing of cone bit an example, the optimal hollow size is 55%, the drilling pressure is 140 kN and the fitting clearance is 0–0.02 mm.