ISSN:
1460-2695
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Mechanical Engineering, Materials Science, Production Engineering, Mining and Metallurgy, Traffic Engineering, Precision Mechanics
Notes:
Flaking failure caused by surface cracks of silicon nitride ceramic bearings has been investigated from the viewpoint of the ring crack model. However, the relation between surface and subsurface cracks under rolling contact fatigue is not fully understood. In this investigation subsurface cracks branching from an initial surface crack were observed in detail, and the process of flaking failure was investigated. The specimens were observed prior to the separation of the surface layers and it was found that the initial surface cracks grew vertically to the surfaces and did not curve as predicted by the ring crack model. Subsurface cracks branched from the single surface cracks and grew in a direction parallel to the surface. They grew in both the same and the opposite directions to the ball movement, with small upward and downward branches. These subsurface cracks grew prior to the semi-circular surface cracks. From these observations it was concluded that the flaking failures are not caused directly by the surface cracks, but by the subsurface cracks that branch from them.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1460-2695.2005.00947.x
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