Hydrogen-accelerated white etching area formation in bearings under rolling contact fatigue
Xingzhong Liang, Pedro E.J. Rivera-Díaz-del-Castillo
Abstract
The presence of hydrogen can dramatically facilitate microstructural alterations in components subjected to rolling contact fatigue (RCF) potentially leading to premature failure. A dislocation-assisted carbon migration model is developed to describe the formation of hydrogen-influenced microstructural alterations such as white etching areas; the model incorporates rolling parameters such as maximum contact stress, number of cycles, rotational speed, and temperature. Kinetic Monte Carlo is adopted to describe hydrogen-dislocation interactions which alters dislocation mobility, accelerating white etching area formation whilst reducing fatigue life. The results are experimentally validated by microstructural characterisation and RCF testing.