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The effect of different slide-to-roll ratios has been experimentally investigated under steady state and transient conditions using a steel ball in contact with the plane surface of a glass disc. Under transient conditions the entraining velocity has been varied with a sinusoidal law at two different frequencies. Measurements of the friction force and film thickness using optical interferometry have been made.For the same working conditions, different friction coefficient trends found for positive and negative slide-to-roll ratios can be related to different film thickness values and shapes. The combination of different thermal effects could be a possible explanation for the obtained results.

Crack surrounded by local areas of microstructural alteration deemed "White etching cracks" (WECs) lead to unpredictable and premature failures within a multitude of applications including wind turbine gearbox bearings. While the exact cause of these failures remains unknown, a large number of hypotheses exist as to how and why these cracks form. The aim of the current work is to elucidate some of these hypotheses by mapping WEC networks within failed wind turbine bearings using high energy X-ray tomography, in an attempt to determine the location of WEC initiation, and the role of defects within the steel, such as inclusions or carbide clusters. Four completely subsurface WECs were found throughout the presented analysis, thereby confirming subsurface initiation as method of WEC formation. Additionally, a multitude of small butterfly like cracks were found around inclusions in the steel, however further analysis is needed to verify if these inclusions are initiation sites for WECs.