Technical Paper
Application of X-Ray Measurement to Bearing Failure Analysis
1983-02-01
830825
X-ray measurement is a very useful tool for bearing failure analysis. Compressive residual stress is created under the bearing raceway if bearings are used under a contact stress higher than the critical value. Residual stress distribution measurement of a used bearing enables to presume contact stress in service. Half height breadth of diffracted X-rey also changes with the fatigue of the material. Therefore X-ray measurement may estimate the degree of fatigue of a used bearing. Fracture surface of a fractured bearing has sometimes a high tensile residual stress at the surface, from which we can presume the fracture toughness of the material and then calculate the fracture stress. X-RAY diffraction is a very useful tool for bearing failure analysis, because X-ray diffraction technique can detect sensitively macro and microscopic lattice changes of a surface layer of crystalline materials.