Ball Spalling in Rolling Element Bearings: Decrease in Rolling Contact Fatigue Life Due to Inferior Microstructure and Manufacturing Processes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Keep ◽  
M. Wolka ◽  
E. Brazitis
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽  
Contact Fatigue ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Manufacturing Processes ◽  
Rolling Element Bearings ◽  
Rolling Element ◽  
Contact Fatigue Life

Ball Spalling in Rolling Element Bearings: Decrease in Rolling Contact Fatigue Life Due to Inferior Microstructure and Manufacturing Processes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Keep ◽  
Mark Wolka ◽  
Beth Brazitis
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽  
Microstructural Analysis ◽  
Contact Fatigue ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Rolling Element Bearing ◽  
Bench Test ◽  
Bearing Life ◽  
Rolling Element ◽  
Contact Fatigue Life

Abstract Through hardened steel ball fatigue failure is an atypical mode of failure in a rolling element bearing. A recent full-scale bench test resulted in ball spalling well below calculated bearing life. Subsequent metallurgical analysis of the spalled balls found inferior microstructure and manufacturing methods. Microstructural analysis revealed significant carbide segregation and inclusions in the steel. These can result from substandard spheroidized annealing and steel making practices. In addition, the grain flow of the balls revealed a manufacturing anomaly which produced a stress riser in the material making it more susceptible to crack initiation. The inferior manufactured balls caused at least an 80% reduction in rolling contact fatigue life of the bearing.

Effect of Grain Flow Orientation on Rolling Contact Fatigue Life of AISI M-50

1982 ◽  
Vol 104 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Nahm
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Flow Line ◽  
Flow Direction ◽  
Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽  
Contact Fatigue ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Vacuum Arc ◽  
Type I ◽  
Grain Flow ◽  
Contact Fatigue Life

Accelerated rolling contact fatigue tests were conducted to study the effect of grain flow orientation on the rolling contact fatigue life of vacuum induction melted and vacuum arc remelted (VIM-VAR) AISI M-50. Cylindrical test bars were prepared from a billet with 0, 45, and 90 deg orientations relative to billet forging flow direction. Tests were run at a Hertzian stress of 4,826 MPa with a rolling speed of 12,500 rpm at room temperature, and lubricated with Type I (MIL-L-7808G) oil. It was observed that rolling contact fatigue life increased when grain flow line direction became more parallel to the rolling contact surface.

Influence of ZnDTP on Rolling Contact Fatigue Life under Grease Lubrication

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021.59 (0) ◽  
pp. 05a5
Author(s):  
Hirotomo HOSOI ◽  
Yugo KAMEI ◽  
Hirotoshi AKIYAMA ◽  
Jusei MAEDA ◽  
Masanori SEKI
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽  
Contact Fatigue ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Grease Lubrication ◽  
Contact Fatigue Life

Evaluation of contact fatigue life of a wind turbine carburized gear considering gradients of mechanical properties

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1170-1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Wang ◽  
Huaiju Liu ◽  
Caichao Zhu ◽  
Zhangdong Sun
Keyword(s):  
Residual Stress ◽  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽  
Contact Fatigue ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Heavy Duty ◽  
Initial Residual Stress ◽  
Contact Fatigue Life ◽  
Carburized Gear ◽  
Load Conditions

Case hardening processes such as carburizing are extensively applied in heavy-duty gears used in wind turbines, ships, high-speed rails, etc. Contact fatigue failure occurs commonly in engineering practice, thus reduces reliabilities of those machines. Rolling contact fatigue life of a carburized gear is influenced by factors such as the gradients of mechanical properties and profile of initial residual stress. In this regard, the study of contact fatigue life of carburized gears should be conducted with the consideration of those aspects. In this study, a finite element elastic–plastic contact model of a carburized gear is developed which takes the gradients of hardness and initial residual stress into account. Initial residual stress distribution and the hardness profile along the depth are obtained through experimental measurements. The effect of the hardness gradient is reflected by the gradients of yield strength and fatigue parameters. The modified Fatemi–Socie strain-life criterion is used to estimate the rolling contact fatigue life of the heavy-duty carburized gear. Numerical results reveal that according to the Fatemi–Socie fatigue life criterion, rolling contact fatigue failure of the carburized gear will first initiate at subsurface rather than surface. Compared with the un-carburized gear, the rolling contact fatigue lives of the carburized gear under all load conditions are significantly improved. Under heavy load conditions, the carburized layer significantly reduces the fatigue damage mainly due to the benefit to inhibit the accumulation of plasticity. Influence of the residual stress is also investigated. Under the nominal load condition, compared with the residual stress-free case, the existence of the tensile residual stress causes remarkable deterioration of the rolling contact fatigue life while the compressive residual stress with the same magnitude leads to a moderate growth of the rolling contact fatigue life. As the load becomes heavier when plasticity becomes notable, the influence of the initial residual stress on the life is somewhat weakened.

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