Finite element analysis of variable hollowness and experimental validation of optimized uniformly tapered layered...

The present study investigates the structural performance of uniformly tapered hollow roller (UTHR) and uniformly tapered layered hollow roller (UTLHR) bearings with varying hollowness levels using finite element analysis (FEA) and experimental validation. A comprehensive numerical investigation was conducted for hollowness levels ranging from 30% to 80% to evaluate maximum deflection, bending stress, von Mises stress, contact pressure, endurance-limit loading, and radial stiffness. The finite element results identified an optimum hollowness range of approximately 31-40%, where stress redistribution was achieved without excessive loss of stiffness. The analytical study predicted applied radial load of 30 kN, with a deviation of 0.1412%, which is validating the theoretical formulations. Moreover, simulations results realized reduced stress concentrations and optimized stiffness at optimum hollowness. The layered hollow roller configurations dominate over single hollow roller design in terms of lower contact pressure and improved stress distribution. The experimentally measured static failure loads were 53.01 kN and 76.17 kN for the UTHR and UTLHR bearings, respectively. The experimental results showed excellent agreement with the finite element predictions, with deviations below 2.5%. Accordingly, the effective similarities between the predicted and experimental results shows the reliability of the adopted modelling approach and highlights the structural advantages of layered hollow rollers within an optimized hollowness range.