Rolling contact fatigue(RCF) is a major cause of failure that appears in components of rolling contacts. In the recent years, the fatigue propagation and failure have been an important issue in respect of the safe operation and to reduce the noise and vibration of the rolling contact components. The water-contaminated lubrication is known to be one of the significant factors that reduces the lifetime of the rolling contact components. Thus, in this study, the effect of water-contaminated lubrication environment on the rolling contact fatigue was investigated. Bearing life testing was performed in two different lubrication conditions (i.e. normal lubrication environment and water-contaminated lubrication environment). The effect of the debirs on the rolling contact fatigue could be eliminated by establishing the debris filter system. Microscopic features of the rolling contact surfaces were examined using energy dispersive spectrometry and non-contact 3D measurement system. In the case of the water-contaminated lubrication, the increase of surface roughness values up to 17.6% was observed. The oxidation state and pattern of the rolling contact surfaces were very different depending on the lubrication environment. It was also found that the bearing rating life,   , was decreased significantly in the watercontaminated lubrication condition. The amount of reduction was about 49.7%.

Powder forging is used for heavy-loaded parts (rings of rolling-contact bearings, gears etc.) production. Rolling contact fatigue is material property values of which characterize possibility of practical utilization of such parts. Rolling contact fatigue of some steels obtained out of prealloyed powders Astaloy CrM, Atomet 4601, Atomet 4901 and powder blends iron-carbon-nickel by hot forging is studied in the present paper. Effect of various kinds of heat and thermomechanical treatment on rolling contact fatigue is determined. Thermomechanical treatment provides optimal values of rolling contact fatigue. In this case steel structure contains up to 40% of retained metastable austenite which is transformed to martensite on trials. Thus typically crack is generated on residual pores and non-metallic inclusions instead of martensite zones in wrought steels.

A developed molybdenum hybrid-alloyed steel powder is based on a molybdenum prealloyed steel powder to which molybdenum powder particles are diffusion bonded. The sintered compact made of this powder has a finer pore structure than that of the conventional molybdenum prealloyed steel powder, because the ferritic iron phase with a high diffusion coefficient is formed in the sintering necks where molybdenum is concentrated resulting in enhanced sintering. The rolling contact fatigue strength of the sintered and carburized compacts made of this powder improved by a factor of 3.6 compared with that of the conventional powder due to the fine pore structures.

본 연구에서는 고주파 유도경화처리한 중탄소강의 회전접촉 피로거동을 0.44wt.%C강과 0.55wt.%C강을 사용하여 조사하였다. 회전접촉 피로시험은 Polymet RCF-1 시험기에서 탄성유체 윤활 조건으로 회전속도 8,000rpm, 최대 Hertz응력 492kg/mm2을 가하면서 실시하였다. 미세한 lath마르텐사이트가 고주파 유도경화한 0.44wt.%C강과 0.55wt.%C강의 표면경화층에 형성되었고 소량의 페라이트가 일부 형성되었으며 0.44wt.%C강과 0.55wt.%C에 비해 비교적 큰 페라이트가 나타났다. 회전접촉 피로시험 후 표면경도가 거의 유지되는 표면경화층에서 회전접촉 피로시험전에 비해 경도가 상승하였다. 이 경도증가량의 최대치(δ Hvmax)와 피로수명과의 관계를 조사한 결과 0.55wt.%C강이 0.44wt.%C강에 비해 회전접촉 피로중에 일어나는 소변형에 대한 높은 저항성에 주로 기인하여 δ Hvmax값은 낮게 나타나고 피로수명은 높게 나타났다.

2종류의 질화규소에 대하여 Ring형시험편을 이용하여 접촉피로시험을 하였다. 질화규소는 금속재료에서와 같은 형태의 피로현상을 나타냈고, 파면해석 및 관찰결과 접촉피로에 있어서 균열의 발생은 고탄소크롬강의 경우와 같이 표면하의 반복전단응력에 의한 것으로 밝혀졌다. 그리고 시험펴 파단면에서 표면하의 Heltz전단응력의 변동이 최대로 되는 깊이의 위치에 다수의 균열이 관찰되었다.