Comparisons of contact pressures of crowned rollers

The present work determines the contact pressure and stress concentration between the crowned roller and the raceway by using three-dimensional finite element analysis. A number of crowned profiles with various dimensions were examined. Fine meshes and node-to-Hermit-surface contact elements were used along the contact surface in order to obtain accurate analysis results. A table was generated to show the stress concentration near the roller edge for various crowned profiles and dimensions. This table indicates that the exponential profile is the optimal crowned profile to eliminate stress concentration.