Influences of eccentric unbalances on loads and life of auto water pump bearing

The life of auto water-pump bearing is closely related to its loads which are affected by the eccentric unbalances of rotational components in the structure system of the bearing. However, since the bearing structure in auto water-pump is complicated, the exact load calculations and the life prediction for this kind of bearing are difficult. In this paper, the WR3258152 auto water-pump bearing is investigated. The load and life calculation models for the bearing are developed with considering the eccentric unbalances of the cooling fan and the driving wheel. The influences of the fan and the wheel unbalances on the loads and life of the bearing are studied. The calculation and analysis results show that the radial loads on rolling element rows of the auto water-pump bearing fluctuate significantly under the actions of the fan and the wheel unbalances and the bearing life reduces regularly with the eccentric unbalances changing.