Hydrogen-accelerated white etching area formation in bearings under rolling contact fatigue

Abstract

The presence of hydrogen can dramatically facilitate microstructural alterations in components subjected to rolling contact fatigue (RCF) potentially leading to premature failure. A dislocation-assisted carbon migration model is developed to describe the formation of hydrogen-influenced microstructural alterations such as white etching areas; the model incorporates rolling parameters such as maximum contact stress, number of cycles, rotational speed, and temperature. Kinetic Monte Carlo is adopted to describe hydrogen-dislocation interactions which alters dislocation mobility, accelerating white etching area formation whilst reducing fatigue life. The results are experimentally validated by microstructural characterisation and RCF testing.