New Test Method for Torque Testing of Rolling Element (Ball) Bearings for Aerospace Applications
1. Scope
1.1 This standard contains requirements for the friction torque testing of instrument type, annular ball bearings. This a low-speed test directed at high precision and/or critical bearing applications. Guidelines for running and starting torque tests and testers are established
1.1.1 The purpose of this standard is to establish basic guidelines for starting and running torque tests and testers to allow correlation of test results between different facilities.
1.1.2 This standard applies to the method of evaluating low torque instrument ball bearings, including, but not limited to, gyroscope gimbal rings and servo systems. This standard covers miniature ball bearings as well as all general types of ball bearings in both the inch series and metric series with torque limits under 20,000 mg-mm. The specification is limited to axial load application as radial loading would require a different test configuration.
There is not currently an ASTM standard for this process. There is a MIL standard which is no longer current. The ASTM standard will be modernized and be more useful to the user community. It includes input from the bearing torque testing equipment manufacturers, users of bearings, and aerospace mechanisms community
