SKF have created a new bearing app for SKF Ansys. The app provides bearing design engineers with access to data on the stiffness of more than 10,000 different bearings. This app is available from SKF free of charge.
Simulations are incredibly important for machine designers who use previous data and simulations as part of product development which helps to eliminate errors and in many cases these simulations help to reduce to need for physical prototypes. High quality bearings, such as those made by SKF are critical in many applications such as gearboxes or electric drivetrains. The bearings are a crucial point in the overall system performance.
Simulating bearings to understand performance is not simple as bearings can be used in such a wide range of applications. It's not normal that a bearing will have been simulated in the exact scenario that a designer is planning to run it with the same load or speed ratings and this is where the new SKF bearing app fills the gap and designers no longer need to rely on approximations or standardised results.
Hedzer Tillema who is the product manager of engineering software at SKF explained. "“With this new integration, we are taking the burden of bearing simulation away from the user’s system and doing it ourselves. Our calculations consider the detailed contacts between the rolling elements and the raceways of the bearing, and full details of the micro-geometry.”
Mark Hindsbo who is the VP & GM at Ansys says “The partnership with SKF is a great example of empowering engineers to gain detailed insight into the performance of their designs early on. No one knows bearings better than SKF and that knowledge is now available to every Ansys Mechanical user.”
Mark Hindsbo who is the VP & GM at Ansys says “The partnership with SKF is a great example of empowering engineers to gain detailed insight into the performance of their designs early on. No one knows bearings better than SKF and that knowledge is now available to every Ansys Mechanical user.”
Using Ansys, the designer uses a product selection wizard to firstly identify the bearing and then the application has direct communication with SKF which creates an accurate representation of the stiffness of the real bearing.
The data within the app is constantly being updated and any of the 10,000 most common SKF bearings can be simulated and the app can analyse both static or dynamic applications including where consideration needs to be made for harmonics or vibrations.
By connecting with SKF cloud services, SKF bearing customers can calculate data such as bearing rating life, friction, grease life, relubrication intervals and minimum load. Detailed bearing stiffness models are also available on the KISSsoft and FVA Workbench analysis platforms.
This is just the latest addition as SKF continuously expand the capabilities of their software range in their goal to become the undisputed leader in bearing solutions across the world.
For more information on bearings calculation tools, please visit: https://www.skf.com/group/support/engineering-tools/integrated-skf-calculation-services