A Microscopic Observation of Rolling Contact Fatigue Damages under the Water-Contaminated Lubrication Environment

Abstract

Rolling contact fatigue(RCF) is a major cause of failure that appears in components of rolling contacts. In the recent years, the fatigue propagation and failure have been an important issue in respect of the safe operation and to reduce the noise and vibration of the rolling contact components. The water-contaminated lubrication is known to be one of the significant factors that reduces the lifetime of the rolling contact components. Thus, in this study, the effect of water-contaminated lubrication environment on the rolling contact fatigue was investigated. Bearing life testing was performed in two different lubrication conditions (i.e. normal lubrication environment and water-contaminated lubrication environment). The effect of the debirs on the rolling contact fatigue could be eliminated by establishing the debris filter system. Microscopic features of the rolling contact surfaces were examined using energy dispersive spectrometry and non-contact 3D measurement system. In the case of the water-contaminated lubrication, the increase of surface roughness values up to 17.6% was observed. The oxidation state and pattern of the rolling contact surfaces were very different depending on the lubrication environment. It was also found that the bearing rating life, L10 , was decreased significantly in the watercontaminated lubrication condition. The amount of reduction was about 49.7%.