Ball and roller bearings are commonly used machine elements for supporting rotating motion about shafts in simple devices including bicycles, in-line skates, and electric motors, as well as in complex machines. Heat is generated by the friction in the bearings, which causes the temperature inside the bearing to increase. If the heat is not appropriately removed from the bearing, elevated temperatures may give rise to premature failure. It is, therefore, important to be able to calculate the temperature in the bearings due to friction. Here, we describe a method to estimate the frictional torque in bearings using an empirical formula developed using a method based on bearing analysis tool and the measured frictional torque in a spindle system. Thermal analysis of the spindle system including the bearings was achieved using the finite element method (FEM), and the bearing temperature was compared with measured data to verify the empirical formula.
