XFEM rolling contact fatigue crack propagation in railways considering creepages on contact shear stresses

Analysis of Surface Crack Growth under Rolling Contact Fatigue

Understanding the fatigue crack growth phenomenon in railheads requires a study of driving forces such as the crack tip opening and sliding displacements, under repeated rolling contact. Finite element simulations, allowing elastic-plastic deformation, and mixed-mode crack growth laws were utilized to demonstrate that the fatigue crack growth rates display a minimum after a finite amount of cra...

Rolling Contact Fatigue in Ultra High Vacuum

Rolling contact fatigue in martensitic 100Cr6: subsurface hardening and crack formation

Rolling contact fatigue tests on 100Cr6 steel were carried out with a ballon-rod tester. Microstructural damage was manifested by gradual hardness changes under the subsurface, and microcracks formed adjacent to inclusions; both being evidence of plastic deformation. The hardness increase appears to be due to the development of residual stress, while the microcracks form as a result of the conc...

Fretting Fatigue with Cylindrical-On-Flat Contact: Crack Nucleation, Crack Path and Fatigue Life

Fretting fatigue experiments and finite element analysis were carried out to investigate the influence of cylindrical-on-flat contact on crack nucleation, crack path and fatigue life of medium-carbon steel. The location of crack nucleation was predicted using the maximum shear stress range criterion and the maximum relative slip amplitude criterion. The prediction using the maximum relative sli...

Investigations of White Etching Crack (WEC) Formation under Rolling Contact Fatigue

A premature failure mode in steel rolling element bearings called white structure flaking (WSF) occurs in wind turbine gearbox bearings. WSF can occur in as little as 6-24 months of operation. WSF is associated with microstructural alterations called white etching area (WEA) and white etching cracks (WECs) that form in the ~1 mm zone beneath the contact surface. The tribological drivers for WSF...