ORBIS is a computer program to solve the nonlinear elastic behavior of rolling-element ball bearings. The model considers each ball-to-race contact for all bearing rows defined in the system (up to 5 rows allowed); resulting in complete knowledge of element load distributions and their raceway attitudes. Core analysis methods are based on industry standard A.B. Jones theories. ORBIS also implements a ring compliance model based on classical thick ring theories to determine the final mounted and preloaded state of the bearing system. This model is also used for assessing thermal strains.
The program offers a graphical interface designed by a bearing analyst to be useful and intuitive. Our mission is to make ORBIS the 'industry standard' for rolling-element bearing analysis software.
ORBIS is a full-featured bearing analysis tool. Table 1. lists general features and Table 2.
lists available analysis outputs. See the "Key Tools & Features" section below for further details about the
many advanced utilities.
| Features |
|---|
|
| Row & System Level | Rolling-Element Level |
|---|---|
|
|
In addition to analyzing multiple bearings on a common shaft, ORBIS provides many tools and features to aid in the design and optimization of the user defined system. For instance, the sensitivity tool allows almost any input parameter to be independently varied and plotted against one or more output parameters. Other tools include tolerance analysis, flexible shaft modeler, batch processing and Dahl torque hysteresis. See the Key Tools & Features section for further details.
ORBIS is built on core methods published by A. B. Jones and has become the trusted bearing analysis solution for industries extending from bearing manufacturers to aerospace and defense companies. In addition to verification from our clients, ORBIS accuracy has been validated by comparing numerous test cases with the Jones program.
By adhering to clear and instinctive data input, and organizing information in an intuitive manner, we believe you will find the ORBIS interface easy to use. Customizable bearing, material and lubricant databases save time by 'remembering' numerous parameters that are often reused.
Since the first version release in 2009, we have continued developing ORBIS. We believe clients should not have to purchase new versions every time a feature is added. To address this, software licenses are leased and all users receive new version releases. Also, the Java® development platform was specifically chosen due to its robust compatibility with various computer operating systems and machine architectures. Our mission is to make ORBIS the industry standard for rolling-element bearing analysis.
The ORBIS user base consist of bearing manufacturers, missile and defense contractors, and the aerospace industry. Please contact us for more user information.
This utility provides a quick way to study the sensitivity of the bearing system. The tool generates plots of selected system parameters against independent input variables. These plots enhance understanding of the effect each input parameter has on the bearing system.
Table 3., lists available independent and dependent parameters that can be studied with the Sensitivity tool. Multiple dependent parameters can be selected and separate plots will be generated automatically. Raw plot data can be exported to a text file for further analysis.
| Independent Parameters | Dependent Parameters |
|---|---|
|
|
This utility is used to account for elastic compliance of the bearing shaft, thereby allowing independent bearing rotation attitudes based on the structural stiffness of the shaft. The elasticity model uses Timoshenko beam element formulations that account for both bending and shear deflections in the shaft. The user can define up to 25 unique circular beam elements on a given shaft; each of which may contain unique cross section dimensions and/or materials. Deformed shaft shape can also be plotted.
This utility iteratively solves all permutations of key tolerances. Minimum and maximum values for preload, ID/OD fitups, contact angle or radial play, and curvatures can be assessed. Additionally, the sign convention on each load component can be specified to run through all plus-minus combinations. The tool seeks tolerance combinations to cause maximum contact stress. Additionally, if truncated contacts are found, the tool will find the worst case tolerance conditions to cause the largest percent truncation.
The Dahl Torque Hysteresis utility is used to analyze the torsional stiffness (torque versus angle) of the bearing system during startup or direction reversal. This phenomenon occurs through small finite angles of rotation, often most apparent when direction of rotation is reversed, at speeds sufficiently slow such that viscous drag is negligible. The utility provides quick inspection of the reversing torque slope and steady state torque. Additionally, the utility can quickly generate small angle hysteresis loops for both graphical plot inspection and data export.
Most tools support data plotting and data exporting. Plot windows are interactive and provide click-n-drag mouse zooming, complete plot reformatting, and the ability to save final plots to image files. Data exporting provides delimited text file output formats that can easily be imported into other software (such as Microsoft Excel®).
The batch processing utility allows import of a .csv file with multiple load cases defined and will process all cases against the configured bearing system. Main result parameters, such as maximum stress, percent truncation, and resistive torque are tabulated against each load cases for quick review. Any case from the result table can sent to a full result window for detailed inspection. The result table can be exported to a text file for further post processing. Additionally, a full detailed result file can be automatically generated and saved for all load cases.
The Load Margin of Safety tool calculates a true load margin on the defined system of bearings. The reported margin is the percent load increase, expressed as a decimal, that could be applied to the defined load to reach a specified limit criteria. Option for limiting criteria are maximum mean stress and/or truncation; where the tool reports the margin to the first limit criteria found. Furthermore, truncation limits can be adjusted to a maximum allowable percent truncation (i.e. allow a maximum of 10% truncation).
The Hertzian Contact tool is a general engineering tool to solve classical Hertzian point and line contact problems. The tool solves arbitrary two body contact problems and provides the resulting contact stress, elliptical contact area, linearized contact stiffness and sub-surface shear stresses. Since the tool uses the main material database, only body radii and the normal load are specified to run the analysis.
ORBIS requires the following minimum system requirements: