Measuring load distribution on the outer raceways of rotating machines

•The ring of the roller bearing is equipped with a capacitive probe.•This device enables to calculate distribute on coefficients of the load.•These probes measure with a high accuracy bearing path’s displacements.•These probes enable to determine the transmitted load.•Load can be determined in an easy way.

In mechanical bearings, external loads are transferred from one raceway to another through the rolling elements. The load distribution on the rolling elements is uneven, and it depends on several intrinsic properties of the bearing’s geometry and load’s amplitude. It is mandatory to fully understand the load’s distribution in order to determine each load that is transferred through the rolling elements. Former assessment allows calculating the external loading applied to the bearing.In this paper an experimental device is developed by the means of capacitive probes. It accurately measures the displacements of the raceway as the rolling elements pass by. The relation between the displacements and the loads is proportional as we remain within the linear range of the material. The efforts can therefore be easily determined. Numerical simulations as well as prototype experiments confirm the relevance of the device.