The influence of steel microstructure and inclusion characteristics on the formation of premature bearing failures with microstructural alterations

Journal Article · Mon Feb 25 00:00:00 EST 2019 · Materials Science and Engineering. A, Structural Materials: Properties, Microstructure and Processing

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2019.02.084· OSTI ID:1524416

Gould, Benjamin ^[1]; Demas, Nicholaos G. ^[1]; Greco, Aaron C. ^[1]

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1. Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

The formation of premature cracking damage associated with local microstructural alterations, commonly referred to as "white etching cracks" (WECs) has led to unpredictable bearing failures in numerous industrial applications. WECs are known to occur in the field independent of material characteristics such as heat treatment, predominant microstructure and surface coatings, as well as lubricant characteristics such as additive packages and viscosity. However, WECs have proven difficult to recreate at a benchtop scale; to date, no benchtop test has been reported to recreate WECs using commercially available field lubricants. The present work intends to identify key differences between the microstructure of field bearings and the microstructure of benchtop samples, focusing on the characteristics of the inclusions contained in both steels. Synchrotron scale X-ray tomography revealed that AISI 52100 steel used in industrial scale field bearings contained a drastically different inclusion microstructure then the AISI 52100 steels used in standard benchtop test specimens. Additionally, the authors were able to form WECs in test samples manufactured out of the steel of a field bearing using fully formulated field lubricants; a finding which has not yet been reported in open literature.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Wind Energy Technologies Office
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-06CH11357
• OSTI ID: 1524416
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1547696
• Journal Information: Materials Science and Engineering. A, Structural Materials: Properties, Microstructure and Processing, Vol. 751, Issue C; ISSN 0921-5093
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
Bearing failures
Microstructural alterations
Premature fatigue
White etching cracks