scholarly journals Rolling Wear of Silicon Nitride Bearing Materials

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
John W. Lucek
Keyword(s):  
Fatigue Life ◽  
Silicon Nitride ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
Fatigue Testing ◽  
Rolling Contact Fatigue ◽  
Contact Fatigue ◽  
Rolling Contact ◽  
Wear Performance ◽  
Wear Rates ◽  
Bearing Materials

Rolling-contact fatigue test methods were used to measure the wear performance of several silicon nitride materials. Sintered, hot pressed and hot isostatically pressed materials exhibited wear rates ranging over three orders of magnitude. Hot isostatically pressed materials had the lowest wear rates. Despite the disparity in wear performance, all materials tested had useful rolling-contact fatigue lives compared to steel. Fatigue life estimates, failure modes, and rolling wear performance for theses ceramics are compared to M-50 steel. This work highlights the rapid contact stress reductions that occur due to conformal wear in rolling-contact fatigue testing. Candidate bearing materials with unacceptably high wear rates may exhibit useful fatigue lives. Rolling contact bearing materials must possess useful wear and fatigue resistance. Proper performance screening of candidate bearing materials must describe the failure mode, wear rate, and the fatigue life. Guidelines for fatigue testing methods are proposed.

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.

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