Investigations of bearing failures associated with white etching areas (WEAs) in wind turbine gearboxes

Tribology Transactions

Volumn 56, Issue 6, 2013, Pages 1069-1076

  Robert, Errichello ^a   Robert, Budny ^b   Rainer, Eckert ^c  

^a GEARTECH   (United States)

^b RBB Engineering   (United States)

^c Northwest Research Laboratory   (United States)

Author keywords

Carburizing; Cylindrical roller bearings; Failure analysis; Fatigue crack propagation; Residual stress; Retained austenite; Rolling bearings; Rolling contact fatigue; Tapered roller bearings; Through hardening

Indexed keywords

COMPRESSIVE RESIDUAL STRESS; MICROSTRUCTURAL ALTERATIONS; RETAINED AUSTENITE; ROLLING BEARINGS; ROLLING CONTACT FATIGUE; ROLLING ELEMENT BEARING; THROUGH-HARDENING; WIND TURBINE GEARBOXES;

BEARINGS (MACHINE PARTS); CARBURIZING; CRACKS; ETCHING; FAILURE ANALYSIS; FATIGUE CRACK PROPAGATION; HARDENING; METALLURGY; RESIDUAL STRESSES; TAPERED ROLLER BEARINGS; WIND TURBINES;

CYLINDRICAL ROLLER BEARINGS;

EID: 84885794541     PISSN: 10402004     EISSN: 1547397X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/10402004.2013.823531     Document Type: Article

References (25)

1. Warhapande, A., Sadeghi, F., and Evans, R. D. (2013), "Microstructural Alterations in Bearing Steels under Rolling Contact Fatigue Part 1-Historical Overview," Tribology Transactions, 56(3), pp 349-358.
2. Gentile, A. J., Jordan, E. F., and Martin, A. D. (1965), "Phase Transformation in High-Carbon, High-Hardness Steels under Contact Loads," AIME Transactions, 233, pp 1085-1093.
3. Martin, J. A., Borgese, S. F., and Eberhardt, A. D. (1966), "Microstructural Alterations of Rolling-Bearing Steel Undergoing Cyclic Stressing," Journal of Basic Engineering, 88, pp 555-567.
4. O'Brien, J. L. and King, A. H. (1966), "Electron Microscopy of StressInduced Structural Alterations Near Inclusions in Bearing Steels," Journal of Basic Engineering, 88, pp 568-572.
5. Swahn, H., Becker, P. C., and Vingsbo, O. (1976), "Martensite Decay During Rolling Contact Fatigue in Ball Bearings," Metallurgical Transactions A, 7(8), pp 1099-1110.
6. Voskamp, A. P., Osterlund, R., Becker, P. C., and Vingsbo, O. (1980), "Gradual Changes in Residual Stress and Microstructure during Contact Fatigue in Ball Bearings," Metals Technology, 7, pp 14-21.
7. Zwirlein, O. and Schlicht, H. (1982), "Rolling Contact Fatigue Mechanisms-Accelerated Testing versus Field Performance," Rolling Contact Fatigue Testing of Bearing Steels, Hoo, J. J. C. (Ed.), ASTM, Philadelphia, pp 358-379.
8. Voskamp, A. P. (1986), "Material Response to Rolling Contact Loading," Transactions of the ASME, 107, pp 359-366.
9. Schlicht, H., Schreiber, E., and Zwirlein, O. (1988), "Effects of Material Properties on Bearing Steel Fatigue Strength," Effect of Steel Manufacturing Processes on the Quality of Bearing Steels, ASTM 987, J. J. C. Hoo, ed., ASTM, Philadelphia, pp 81-101.
10. Grabulov, A., Petrov, R., and Zandbergen, H. W. (2010), "EBSD Investigation of the Crack Initiation and TEM/FIB Analyses of the Microstructural Changes around the Cracks Formed under Rolling Contact Fatigue (RCF)," International Journal of Fatigue, 32(3), pp 576-583.
11. Lund, T. B. (2010), "Sub-Surface Initiated Rolling Contact FatigueInfluence of Non-Metallic Inclusions, Processing History, and Operating Conditions," Journal of ASTM International, 7(5), pp 81-96.
12. Evans, M. H. (2012), "White Structure Flaking (WSF) in Wind Turbine Gearbox Bearings: Effects of 'Butterflies' and White Etching Cracks (WECs)," Materials Science and Technology, 28(1), pp 3-22.
13. Evans, R. D. (2011), "Classic Bearing Damage Modes," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/2011.wind turbine.tribology.seminar.pdf
14. Bohmer, H. J. (1993), "Rolling Contact Fatigue," Publication No. WL 40 205 EA.
15. Hiraoka, K., Nagao, M., and Isomoto, T. (2007), "Study on Flaking Process in Bearings by White Etching Area Generation," Bearing Steel Technology-Advances and State of the Art in Bearing Steel Quality Assurance, Beswick, J. M. (Ed.), pp 234-240, ASTM, Philadelphia.
16. Gegner, J. and Nierlich, W. (2011), "The Bearing Axial Cracks Root Cause Hypothesis of Frictional Surface Crack Initiation and Corrosion Fatigue Driven Crack Growth," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/.2011.wind.turbine.tribology.seminar.pdf
17. Harada, H., et al. (2005), "Microstructural Changes and Crack Initiation with White Etching Area Formation under Rolling/Sliding Contact in Bearing Steel," ISIJ International, 45(12), pp 1897-1902.
18. Vegter, R. H. and Slycke, J. T. (2010), "The Role of Hydrogen on Rolling Contact Fatigue Response of Rolling Element Bearings," Journal of ASTM International, 7(2), pp 1-12.
19. Holweger, W. (2011), "Influence on Bearing Life by New Material Phenomena," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/2011.wind.turbine.tribology.seminar.pdf
20. Luyckx, J. (2011), "Hammering Wear Impact Fatigue Hypothesis WEC/irWEA Failure Mode on Roller Bearings," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/2011wind.turbinetribology.seminar.pdf
21. Uyama, H. (2011), "The Mechanism of White Structure Flaking in Rolling Bearings," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/2011.wind.turbine.tribology.seminar.pdf
22. Doll, G. L. (2011), "Tribological Challenges in Wind Turbine Technology," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/2011.wind.turbine.tribology.seminar.pdf
23. Forster, N., Rosado, L., Ogden, W. P., and Trivedi, H. (2009), "Rolling Contact Fatigue Life and Spall Propagation Characteristics of AISI M50, M50NiL, and AISI 52100, Part III, Metallurgical Examination," Tribology Transactions, 53(1), pp 52-59.
24. Errichello, R. (2011), "Microstructural Alterations in Hertzian Fatigue," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/2011.wind.turbine.tribology.seminar.pdf
25. Olver, A. (2011), "Microstructural Alteration in Rolling Contact," Available at: http://www.nrel.gov/wind/pdfs/2011.wind.turbine.tribology.seminar.pdf