Residual stresses and retained austenite evolution in SAE 52100 steel under non-ideal rolling contact loading

Residual stresses are introduced and modified during manufacturing as well as by normal use under rolling contact loading. Operations such as heat treatments, shot peening, grinding, etc., are known to alter the magnitude and distribution of residual stresses. Our work revolves around the changes in magnitude and distribution of residual stresses, as they relate to deformation and the strain induced transformation of retained austenite. The residual stresses and retained austenite measurements were carried out using X-ray diffraction techniques. The rolling contact fatigue lives of different variants of SAE 52100 bearing steel were evaluated in a 5-ball-rod rolling contact fatigue machine under testing conditions leading to surface nucleated failure, i.e. non-ideal rolling contact. The tests were accelerated by applying well controlled micro-indentations on the wear track. The contribution of the residual stresses and amount of retained austenite to the rolling contact fatigue life were analyzed.     

滚动轴承疲劳故障在线诊断的研究

通过对滚动轴承振动信号的在线监测提取出对疲劳故障敏感的参数：峭度、功率谱故障频带能量值、小波包故障频带能量值．选择足够的具有代表性的样本数据训练神经网络,用训练好的神经网络进行在线诊断,可以得出轴承发生疲劳故障的程度,再经过共振解调法诊断出轴承具体损伤的元件,实验表明本方法对滚动轴承的疲劳故障能正确诊断。该监测和诊断方法对其他设备的监测和诊断也有重要的意义。     

滚动轴承疲劳寿命数值仿真技术的研究

建立了滚动轴承疲劳寿命计算的数学模型,运用Monte-Carlo方法对其实验数据进行模拟,编制出相应的计算程序并建立了滚动轴承疲劳寿命预测系统.在计算机上完成滚动轴承寿命计算、数值模拟和滚动轴承的疲劳寿命的预测.     

Influence of soft surface modification on rolling contact fatigue strength of machine element

Various surface modification methods have been employed in order to improve the tribological performance of machine elements. In this work, electroless Ni–P alloy plating and sulfurizing treatments were employed, and the surface modified steel rollers and ball bearings were fatigue-tested under a pure or free rolling contact condition. The fatigue lives of both rollers and bearings were improved by these surface modifications. The contact pressure and subsurface stresses of the surface modified rollers and bearings were analyzed. The reason why the rolling fatigue strengths of surface modified rollers and bearings were higher than those of the non-coated ones would be due to the smaller contact pressure and subsurface stresses by the smaller elasticity as well as the conformity of the plated layer.     

A finite element model for rolling contact fatigue of refurbished bearings

Bearing refurbishing has become a popular method of extending the life of rolling element bearings. In the refurbishing process the raceways of the bearing may be ground to remove any surface damage prior to repolishing and reassembly with larger sized rolling elements. In the current study a continuum damage mechanics finite element model was developed to quantify the damage in original and refurbished bearings. After calculating the damage accumulation for a set number of contact cycles with the original bearing geometry, refurbishing is simulated by removing a layer of the original surface. The refurbished microstructural model is then subjected to additional computational contact cycles until a fatigue crack reaches the surface, signifying failure. This model preserves the fatigue damage accumulated prior to refurbishing and evaluates its influence on the refurbished bearing fatigue life. All refurbished bearing surfaces showed a significant amount of life after refurbishing with L₁₀ lives from the point of refurbishment, varying from 20% to 94% of the original L₁₀ life. The results indicate that the remaining life of the refurbished bearing population is inversely related to the time before refurbishing and is proportional to the depth of the regrinding. Results obtained from this investigation are in good agreement when compared to the Lundberg-Palmgren bearing life equation modified for analyzing the life of a refurbished bearing.     

Effect of surface texturing on rolling contact fatigue within mixed lubricated non-conformal rolling/sliding contacts

The rolling contact fatigue (RCF) life of highly loaded machine components is significantly influenced by the surface roughness features so that there is a continuous effort to design the topography of rubbing surfaces to enhance lubrication efficiency and prolong the operation of machine components. It can be suggested from the recent experimental results that lubricant emitted from shallow micro-dents could effectively lift off the real roughness features and reduce the asperities interactions within rolling/sliding mixed lubricated contacts. Thereby the additional supply of lubricant from surface features could help to reduce the risk of surface damage through the reduction of the interaction of rubbing surfaces during start-up or starvation. However, the introduction of such roughness features into the rubbing surfaces of highly loaded non-conformal contacts should consider not only the effects on lubrication film thickness but also on RCF.That is why this study is focused on the effects of surface texturing on RCF within non-conformal rolling/sliding contacts operated under mixed lubrication conditions. The principal task has been whether possible beneficial effect on film thickness is not accompanied by the reduction in RCF life. Textures with various sizes of micro-dents and their arrangement within the contacts have been considered. It has been found that results obtained with textured surfaces have exhibited no obvious reduction in RCF. Conversely, some increase in RCF using textured surfaces was observed that could be attributed to the positive contribution of micro-dents working as lubricant micro-reservoirs that reduce asperities interactions. Nevertheless, further experiments are necessary to confirm this possible beneficial contribution of surface texturing on RCF.     

The effects of retained austenite on dry sliding wear behavior of carburized steels

Ring-on-square tests on two kinds of low-alloy carburized steel which were AISI 8620 and 4140 were carried out to study the dry sliding wear behavior. The influence of different retained austenite level of 6% to 40% was evaluated while trying to eliminate other factors. Test results show that the effects of grain size and carburized steel species are negligible in dry sliding wear behavior. While the influence of retained austenite is negligible at 20 kg load condition, wear resistance is decreased at 40 kg load condition as the retained austenite level is increased from 6% to 30%. However, wear resistance is again increased above about 30% of retained austenite level at 40 kg load condition.     

The influence of material build up around artificial defects on rolling contact fatigue life and failure mechanism

This paper reports the results obtained in tests conducted to evaluate the evolution of wear tracks and artificial defects under rolling contact fatigue (RCF) loading and its effect on RCF life. The experiments were conducted on specimens of different materials commonly used in rolling bearings and gears. The artificial defects were introduced with the rounded tip of a Rockwell-C type indenter, with a diameter of 120 μm. The evolution of the micro-roughness profiles was followed, in the rolling and transversal directions, for both, artificial defect and wear track. The RCF lives of the samples were correlated with the build up height. Furthermore, the RCF lives of three variants of the SAE 52100 steel with artificial defects were compared to those obtained for the same variants where the build ups had been machined off. In the later case, the lives were observed to increased by a factor close to two; while the spall appearance remained unchanged indicating a similar failure mechanism. These results give room to question the precision and validity of finite element models, when analyzing artificial defects without proper accounting for the build up, i.e. surface roughness, and subsequent life theories formulated to match the numerical results. This paper also deals with the influence of artificial defects (when used to accelerate tests) on the life reduction factor for different materials, which was observed to be dependent on the material hardness.     

Effect of shot peening on rolling contact fatigue and lubricant film thickness within mixed lubricated non-conformal rolling/sliding contacts

The effect of shot peening on rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and lubricant film thickness within non-conformal rolling/sliding contacts operated under mixed lubrication conditions was observed in this study. Rolling contact fatigue tests and film thickness measurements were carried out using specimens with modified surface topography by shot peening process using glass beads having diameter between 0.07 and 0.11 mm. It has been shown that the effect of shot peening on RCF has no positive effect even if shot peened surface of the roller exhibited somewhat higher hardness in contrast to the grounded surface. The reduction of RCF may be caused due to asperities interactions because after shot peening the surface roughness of the roller was increased. Film thickness measurements confirmed that the contact is realized actually only between asperity peaks of shot peened ball and smooth disc.Conversely, no negative effect on RCF was observed when the shot peened surface of the roller was polished. The polish of asperity peaks causes the creation of lands and micro-cavities, which may be employed as lubricant micro-reservoirs. From film thickness measurements it has been observed that lubricant emitted by shallow micro-cavities can provide the local increase in lubrication film thickness, which thereby reduces asperities interactions. Similar results were obtained for start-up conditions where the squeeze lubricant enlarges film thickness and reduces surface interactions.From the obtained results, it can be suggested that properly designed surface topography modification could help to increase the efficiency of lubrication films leading to the enhancement of contact fatigue life of non-conformal mixed lubricated rolling/sliding contacts.     

Cavitation erosion and rolling contact fatigue

A cavitation apparatus has been used to evaluate the fatigue-resistance of lubricants, and a good correlation is found between cavitation and laboratory fatigue tests. Both fatigue pitting and cavitation pitting appear to be due primarily to hydrogen penetration, which is aggravated by reactive gas atmospheres, chemically-active lubricants or additives and especially by water.Cavitation tests differ from laboratory fatigue tests in that anti-friction additives such as oleic acid are found to be harmful and not helpful. In this respect, cavitation may be a better predictor of fatigue performance in actual service, where sub-surface fatigue predominates.     

Acoustic emission monitoring and failure mechanism analysis of rolling contact fatigue for Fe-based alloy coating

The aim of present study is to monitor rolling contact fatigue (RCF) behavior and analyze failure mechanism of the coating by acoustic emission (AE) technology. The results show that AE amplitude and counts are sensitive to RCF damage process, and variation regularities are different during different damage stages. Spalling is the key failure mode. RCF damage process is composed of five stages, such as elastic deformation, plastic deformation, crack initiation and propagation, crack stable growth, and unstable growth. Fatigue cracks are liable to initiate and grow along the direction of defects within the coating, such as pores and cracks.     

Review of the damage mechanism in wind turbine gearbox bearings under rolling contact fatigue

Wind turbine gearbox bearings fail with the service life is much shorter than the designed life. Gearbox bearings are subjected to rolling contact fatigue (RCF) and they are observed to fail due to axial cracking, surface flaking, and the formation of white etching areas (WEAs). The current study reviewed these three typical failure modes. The underlying dominant mechanisms were discussed with emphasis on the formation mechanism of WEAs. Although numerous studies have been carried out, the formation of WEAs remains unclear. The prevailing mechanism of the rubbing of crack faces that generates WEAs was questioned by the authors. WEAs were compared with adiabatic shear bands (ASBs) generated in the high strain rate deformation in terms of microstructural compositions, grain refinement, and formation mechanism. Results indicate that a number of similarities exist between them. However, substantial evidence is required to verify whether or not WEAs and ASBs are the same matters.

     

Incipient damage detection and its propagation monitoring of rolling contact fatigue by acoustic emission

The acoustic emission (AE) technique was applied to rolling contact fatigue tests using a test-rig running under constant load and speed for detecting the incipient damage and damage location. This incipiently-damaged roller was investigated in detail and monitored by further running to determine the damage severity and to understand the surface damage propagation process by applying the AE techniques. The conventional AE parameters and AE signal features were studied, and their relation with the AE source locator hit count rate were correlated. The results demonstrated the successful use of the AE measurement unit, which is principally, consists of the AE data analyzer and the AE source locator as a new system for detecting incipient damage produced by fatigue. Moreover, the system is able to forecast the position of the damage in the roller, capable of providing an indication of the severity of damage i.e. damage size, and thus it could allow the user to monitor the rate of further degradation of the rolling elements.     

Particle size effect on abrasion resistance of mottled cast iron with different retained austenite contents

Effects of particle abrasive sizes on wear resistance of mottled cast iron with different retained austenite contents were studied. Abrasive wear tests using a pin test on alumina paper were carried out, using abrasive sizes between 16 μm and 192 μm. Retained austenite content of the matrix was determined by X-ray diffraction. The wear surface of samples and the alumina paper were examined by scanning electron microscopy for identifying the wear micromechanism. The results show that at lower abrasive sizes the mass loss was similar for the iron with different austenite contents. However, at higher abrasive sizes the samples with higher retained austenite content presented higher abrasion resistance. For lower abrasive sizes tested, samples with higher and lower retained austenite content both presented microcutting. On the other hand, the main wear micromechanism for the samples with higher retained austenite content and higher abrasive sizes was microploughing. The samples with lower retained austenite content presented microcutting and wedge formation at higher abrasive sizes. Higher abrasive size induced more microcutting in samples with lower retained austenite. The iron with lower retained austenite content presented wider grooves for the different abrasive sizes measured. SEM on the abrasive paper used on samples with higher retained austenite showed continuous and discontinuous microchips and the samples with lower retained austenite showed discontinuous microchips at 66 and 141 μm. This research demonstrates the relation between abrasive size, wear resistance, groove width and wear micromechanism for mottled cast iron with different retained austenite contents.     

Sifting process of EMD and its application in rolling element bearing fault diagnosis

Among the vibration-based fault diagnosis methods for rolling element bearing, the shock pulse method (SPM) combined with the demodulation method is a useful quantitative technique for estimating bearing running state. However, direct demodulation often misestimates the shock value of characteristic defect frequency. To overcome this disadvantage, the vibration signal should be decomposed before demodulation. Empirical mode decomposition (EMD) can be an alternative for preprocess bearing fault signals. However, the trouble with this method’s application is that it is time-consuming. Therefore, a novel method that can improve the sifting process’s efficiency is proposed, in which only one time of cubic spline fitting is required in each sifting process. As a consequence, the time for EMD analysis can be evidently shortened and the decomposition results simultaneously maintained at a high precision. Simulations and experiments verify that the improved EMD method, combined with SPM and demodulation analysis, is efficient and accurate and can be effectively applied in engineering practice. This paper was recommended for publication in revised form by Associate Editor Eung-Soo Shin Hongbo Dong was born in Chaoyang, China, in 1979. He received the B.E. and M.E. degree from Northwestern Polytechnical University in Mechanical Engineering in 2002 and 2005 respectively and received the Ph.D degree from Xi’an Jiaotong University in Mechanical Engineering in 2009. His research interests include fault diagnosis of rotor and bearing system. Bing Li was born in Xuzhou, China, in 1976. He received the B.E. and M.E. degree from Northwestern Polytechnical University in Mechanical Engineering in 1999 and 2002 respectively and received the Ph.D degree from Xi’an Jiaotong University in Mechanical Engineering in 2005. After graduating from Xi’an Jiaotong University, he works as a lecturer in Xi’an Jiaotong University. His research interests include wavelet finite element theory and its application in fault diagnosis.     

Surface topography and rolling element vibration

The problems of random surface characterisation in terms of both height and spatial parameters are described in detail with particular emphasis placed on the use and inherent advantages of the profile structure function. With these tools the mechanisms of surface interaction responsible for generating rolling element vibration are investigated with the overall aim of relating the surface features, which have most influence on bearing vibration, back to the production and finishing processes. In achieving this, the apparent paradox of why across-track roughness measurements are sensitive to raceway noise potential, even though relative motion takes place around the bearing tracks, is explained     

激光拼焊碾压机构碾压力研究

间隙是影响激光拼焊焊缝质量的主要因素之一,碾压预成型技术是解决间隙问题的有效方法.基于碾压机构的工作原理,通过微积分的方法建立了碾压机构碾压力计算的数学模型,并用有限元方法对碾压过程进行了仿真分析.搭建了碾压试验平台,对碾压力等参数进行了试验研究.结果表明碾压力的教学模型是准确的.该模型可为碾压机构设计和碾压工艺参数设计提供重要依据.     

An adaptive SK technique and its application for fault detection of rolling element bearings

In this paper, we propose an adaptive spectral kurtosis (SK) technique for the fault detection of rolling element bearings. The primary contribution is adaptive determination of the bandwidth and center frequency. This is implemented with successive attempts to right-expand a given window along the frequency axis by merging it with its subsequent neighboring windows. Influence of the parameters such as the initial window function, bandwidth and window overlap on the merged windows as well as how to choose those parameters in practical applications are explored. Based on simulated experiments, it can be found that the proposed technique can further enhance the SK-based method as compared to the kurtogram approach. The effectiveness of the proposed method in fault detection of the rolling element bearings is validated using experimental signals.     

The effect of a solid additive on rolling fatigue life

Behaviour of a series of lubricant oils and the effect of a non stoichiometric inorganic compound, as solid extreme pressure additive, on rolling fatigue life are studied using the rolling four-ball accelerated service simulation test proposed by Barwell and Scott. The results show, in all tested cases, the remarkable efficacy of this type of additive. The Total Acidity Number (tan) was found to increase with performance time for the case of the base lubricant, while for the oils with additives, it remained at its constant low value. This led to a proposal of a possible mechanism of the additive performance in the rolling process.