A radially loaded, 130 mm diameter ball bearing, simulated using ANSYS LS-Dyna. The radial internal clearance is only 1 micrometer. The outer raceway is fixed, while the inner raceway spins quickly from standstill to 6000 rpm.
The Hertzian stress distribution at contact points between balls and raceways is evident. Also, the model captures remarkably well the reduction of loaded zone angle due to clearance and the resulting increase in loading on the lower balls.