A THERMAL ANALYSIS OF THE THREADED SPINDLE BEARING ASSEMBLY IN NUMERICALLY CONTROLLED MACHINE TOOLS

A threaded gear in machine tools is a mechanical actuator that converts rotary motion into linear one of the machine axis using a recirculating ball-nut. It provides positioning accuracy, uniform motion, silent operation, reduced wear and an increased service life. The bearing assembly of the threaded spindles should provide load transfer (cutting forces and friction forces) while maintaining high guiding accuracy. Due to a high number of the threaded spindle revolutions and the presence of tension in the bearing and a high axial force originating from the cutting and friction forces, the increased heat load due to friction in the bearings is normally expected. For this reason, this paper presents a thermal analysis of the bearing assembly of the threaded spindle which is realized via an axial ball bearing with angular contact of the ZKLN type, produced by the German manufacturer Schaeffler (INA); in other words, a numerical thermal analysis has been performed