Investigation of Microstructural Effects in Rolling Contact Fatigue

Rolling contact fatigue (RCF) is a common cause of failure in tribological machine components such as rolling-element bearings (REBs). Steels selected for RCF applications are subject to various material processes in order to produce martensitic microstructures. An effect of such material processing is the retention of the austenitic phase within the steel microstructure. Retained austenite (RA) transformation in martensitic steels subjected to RCF is a well-established phenomenon. In this investigation, a novel approach is developed to predict martensitic transformations of RA in steels subjected to RCF. A criteria for phase transformations is developed by comparing the required thermodynamic driving force for transformations to the energy dissipation in the microstructure. The method combines principles from phase transformations in solids with a damage mechanics framework to calculate energy availability for transformations. The modeling is then extended to incorporate material alterations as a result of RA transforming within the material. A continuum damage mechanics (CDM) FEM simulation is used to capture material deterioration, phase transformations, and the formation of internal stresses as a result of RCF. Crystal lattice orientation is included to modify energy requirements for RA transformation. Damage laws are modified to consider residual stresses and different components of the stress state as the drivers of energy dissipation. The resulting model is capable of capturing microstructural evolution during RCF. The development and stability of internal stresses caused by RA transformation in bearing steel material was experimentally investigated. Specimens of 8620 case carburized steel were subjected to torsional fatigue at specific stress levels for a prescribed number of cycles. X-ray diffraction techniques were used to measure residual stress and RA volume fraction as a function of depth in the material. A model is set forth to predict compressive residual stress in the material as a function of RA transformation and material relaxation. Modeling results are corroborated with experimental data. In addition, varying levels of retained austenite (RA) were achieved through varying undercooling severity in uniformly treated case carburized 8620 steel. Specimens were characterized via XRD and EBSD techniques to determine RA volume fraction and material characteristics prior to rolling contact fatigue (RCF). Higher RA volume fractions did not lead to improvement in RCF lives. XRD measurements after RCF testing indicated that little RA decomposition had occurred during RCF. The previously established RCF simulations were modified to investigate the effects of RA stability on RCF. The results obtained from the CDM FEM captured similar behavior observed in the experimental results. Utilizing the developed model, a parametric study was undertaken to examine the effects of RA quantity, RA stability, and applied pressure on RCF performance. The study demonstrates that the energy requirements to transform the RA phase is critical to RCF performance

Rolling contact fatigue study of chilled and quenched/tempered ductile iron compared with AISI 1080 steel

Both ductile iron and steel are widely used to build rolling elements. As ductile irons generally cost less than steels, this study was conducted to evaluate its rolling contact fatigue (RCF) performance by comparing with that of the AISI 1080 steel. The RCF resistance of two ductile iron variants, chilled ductile iron (CDI) and quenched and tempered ductile iron (Q&T DI), was evaluated. RCF testing was performed using a 3-ball and rod rig. The CDI and Q&T DI results were compared to those of Q&T 1080 steel. The three groups of specimens were processed to ensure a consistent surface hardness of 60 HRC prior to testing. Q&T DI exhibits a much lower RCF loading capacity (2.1 GPa) compared with CDI (3.6 GPa). Under the same loading condition, CDI demonstrated a significantly lower RCF resistance compared with Q&T 1080 steel. Failures in CDI was found to be independent of graphite, which explains CDI\u27s improved RCF life compared to Q&T DI. This improvement is attributed to higher micro-hardness and less variation throughout the material. The microstructure of tested CDI was analyzed with electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) from the specimen surface to the core. These observations on carbide volume fraction and growth preference correlated to cooling rate differences between the material groups. This study paves the way for mechanistically based process design of ductile iron variants to achieve comparable RCF life of steels

Tropospheric Aqueous-Phase Chemistry: Kinetics, Mechanisms, and Its Coupling to a Changing Gas Phase

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