A study on the initiation processes of white etching cracks (WECs) in AISI 52100 bearing steel
A study on the initiation processes of white etching cracks (WECs) in AISI 52100 bearing steel
The life cycle of any drive train is given by the reliability of its individual components, e.g., bearings, gears, and their connections. Lubrication as a part prevents wear caused by uncontrolled mixed friction. However, lubricants may interfere in the load capacity of the steel due to chemical and physical processes. White etching crack (WEC) failures are one of the most prominent failure mechanisms supposed to be related to this topic. In order to understand its initiation and progression we carried out a series of tests in the FE8 test rig proven to reproduce WECs by lubrication chemistry. These tests were stopped at an early stage. All lubricant compositions leading to WECs showed pores in the subsurface starting in a depth of about 80 μm as an early state phenomenon, while oils not leading to WECs did not show any changes in a comparable test time. Modifications of the microstructure like new grain boundaries were found next to the pore sites by the use of SEM SE/BSE imaging and EBSD mappings. The present investigations give valuable insight into the formation mechanisms of WECs and on the role of different lubricants in the failure process.
AISI 52100, Electron Microscopy, Subsurface Failure, White Etching Cracks (WECs)
Spille, J.
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Wranik, J.
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Barteldes, S.
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Mayer, J.
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Schwedt, A.
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Zürcher, M.
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Lutz, T.
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Wang, L.
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Holweger, W.
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18 July 2021
Spille, J.
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Wranik, J.
dca0d4be-5fe8-4dd2-be0c-363f0ca2c01c
Barteldes, S.
d7301aba-bcd1-4eef-bd6a-1a59a941ec41
Mayer, J.
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Schwedt, A.
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Zürcher, M.
d20380eb-29d9-45b4-8121-429c94753303
Lutz, T.
a6e32d05-585b-46b3-beb0-97e5f01c1bf0
Wang, L.
c50767b1-7474-4094-9b06-4fe64e9fe362
Holweger, W.
97dc70d7-c418-430b-8f43-424983c07e8d
Spille, J., Wranik, J., Barteldes, S., Mayer, J., Schwedt, A., Zürcher, M., Lutz, T., Wang, L. and Holweger, W.
(2021)
A study on the initiation processes of white etching cracks (WECs) in AISI 52100 bearing steel.
Wear, 477, [203864].
(doi:10.1016/j.wear.2021.203864).
Abstract
The life cycle of any drive train is given by the reliability of its individual components, e.g., bearings, gears, and their connections. Lubrication as a part prevents wear caused by uncontrolled mixed friction. However, lubricants may interfere in the load capacity of the steel due to chemical and physical processes. White etching crack (WEC) failures are one of the most prominent failure mechanisms supposed to be related to this topic. In order to understand its initiation and progression we carried out a series of tests in the FE8 test rig proven to reproduce WECs by lubrication chemistry. These tests were stopped at an early stage. All lubricant compositions leading to WECs showed pores in the subsurface starting in a depth of about 80 μm as an early state phenomenon, while oils not leading to WECs did not show any changes in a comparable test time. Modifications of the microstructure like new grain boundaries were found next to the pore sites by the use of SEM SE/BSE imaging and EBSD mappings. The present investigations give valuable insight into the formation mechanisms of WECs and on the role of different lubricants in the failure process.
Text
2021 Spille_A study on the initiation processes of white etching cracks (WECs) in AISI 52100 bear- ing steel
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 4 March 2021
e-pub ahead of print date: 20 March 2021
Published date: 18 July 2021
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Zeller + Gmelin GmbH&Co. KG and Qass GmbH for the support in this study. JS and JM acknowledge the support of the DFG in the framework of project MA 1280/57–1 .
Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank Zeller + Gmelin GmbH&Co. KG and Qass GmbH for the support in this study. JS and JM acknowledge the support of the DFG in the framework of project MA 1280/57?1.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Elsevier B.V.
Keywords:
AISI 52100, Electron Microscopy, Subsurface Failure, White Etching Cracks (WECs)
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 448066
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/448066
ISSN: 0043-1648
PURE UUID: ee44f460-e297-4503-abce-9c8a29a6e7f6
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Date deposited: 01 Apr 2021 15:41
Last modified: 17 Mar 2024 06:27
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Contributors
Author:
J. Spille
Author:
J. Wranik
Author:
S. Barteldes
Author:
J. Mayer
Author:
A. Schwedt
Author:
M. Zürcher
Author:
T. Lutz
Author:
W. Holweger
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