Abstract:  For the thin-section angular contact ball bearing for robot, on the basis of meeting its certain service life, the contact stiffness is the first performance index of the bearing, and lightweight is another important index. Therefore, taking the thin-section angular contact ball bearing for robot as the object, the multi-objective optimization design of its structural parameters was carried out. Firstly, according to the actual working conditions of the bearing, the optimized mathematical model was built with the curvature radius coefficient of inner ring groove, the curvature radius coefficient of outer ring groove, the ball diameter, the pitch diameter and the number of balls as the influencing factors, and the contact stiffness, the contact fatigue life and the quality as the objective function. And the numerical simulation calculation method was used to obtain the target value corresponding to the different level values of each factor. Then, the multi-objective optimization design of bearing structural parameters was carried out based on orthogonal test method, the bearing structure parameters were optimized based on the orthogonal experiment method. Finally, the optimal structure parameters of bearings were determined through the range analysis and comprehensive balance analysis method. The results indicate that in view of the design requirements of certain life conditions, high stiffness and light weight, it is an efficient and feasible method to carry out multi-objective optimization design of bearings by using the orthogonal test method, which provides a valuable reference for the optimization design of other types of bearings.
Key words:  thin-section angular contact ball bearing;orthogonal test method;multiobjective optimization;bearing life;contact stiffness;lightweight design of bearing