A 2D plane strain finite element program has been developed to investigate very high cycle fatigue in wind turbine roller bearings due to rolling contact. Focus is on fatigue in the inner ring, where the effect of residual stresses and hardness variation along the depth is accounted for. Both classic Hertzian and elastohydrodynamic lubrication theories have been used to model the pressure distribution acting on the inner raceway and results are compared according to the Dang Van multiaxial fatigue criterion. The contact on the bearing raceway is simulated by substituting the roller with the equivalent contact pressure distribution. The material used for the simulations is taken to be an AISI 52100 bearing steel and linear elastic behavior is here assumed. The effect of different residual stress distributions is also studied, as well as the effect of variable hardness along the depth, relating its values to the fatigue limit parameters for the material. It is found that both for Hertzian and elastohydrodynamic lubrication contacts, the Dang Van criterion predicts that fatigue failure will first occur in the subsurface region and that, regardless of the specific pressure distribution used, the hardness distribution can have a significant influence on the safety against failure for bearings subjected to very high cycle fatigue loading.
Sub-surface fatigue crack growth at non metallic inclusions is studied in AISI 52100 bearing steel under typical rolling contact loads. A first 2D plane strain finite element analysis is carried out to compute the stress history in the innner race at a characteristic depth, where the Dang Van damage factor is highest. Subsequently the stress history is imposed as boundary conditions in a periodic unit cell model, where an alumina inclusion is embedded in a AISI 52100 matrix. Cracks are assumed to grow radially from the inclusion under cyclic loading. The growth is predicted by means of irreversible fatigue cohesive elements. Different orientations of the cracks and different matrix-inclusion bonding conditions are analyzed and compared.
Purpose
– The purpose of this paper is to carry out a set of micromechanical analyses to study the effect of small inclusions on fatigue life of wind turbine bearings.
Design/methodology/approach
– The local stress concentrations around an inclusion are determined from a characteristic unit cell model containing a single inclusion, using the approximation of a 2D plane strain numerical analysis. The Dang Van multiaxial fatigue criterion is used for the local stresses in the matrix material, to ensure that the stresses remain within the fatigue limit. The matrix material is taken to be one of the most commonly used bearing steels, AISI 52100, and two different types of inclusions are considered. The macroscopic stress histories applied correspond to either a Hertzian or an elastohydrodynamic (EHL) contact pressure distribution under the rollers.
Findings
– The paper shows that sub-surface fatigue failure due to rolling contact is more likely to develop close to the inclusion-matrix interface, at particular angles that depend on the material and on the inclusion orientation.
Originality/value
– Inclusions represent an important issue in the design of wind turbine bearings, that are supposed to work in the very high cycle regime (N>109 cycles). This paper develops a micromechanical study that provides a deeper understanding on effect of inclusions on the fatigue life, according to one of the most used multiaxial fatigue criteria.
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