Development and Application of the Rolling Contact Fatigue Test Rig

Abstract

The rolling contact (RC) fatigue test rig was developed specifically for rapid and inexpensive evaluation of materials and processes for rolling element bearing applications. The simple geometry of the test specimen, a cylindrical bar, makes it ideal for evaluating new materials where only limited quantities of the material may initially be available and also permits precise control of the mechanical and thermal processing of the test specimen. This paper will discuss the development of the RC rig and will detail some of the major investigatory programs which have been performed in the authors' laboratory. This includes the evaluation of metallic and nonmetallic materials for bearing operation, effects of different metallurgical structures on rolling contact fatigue, and the investigation of unique processes such as ausforming and hollow rolling elements. The results of these investigations will show the relevance of the RC rig to full-scale bearing tests and to actual bearing operation in service. Last, the initial work performed on the second-generation RC rig, a high-speed version capable of surface speeds up to 25 m/s (82 ft/s), permitting operation well into the elastohydrodynamic regime, will be briefly reviewed.