Effect of neighboring-microstructure on the rolling contact fatigue around non-metallic inclusion

It is well known that the flaking of a raceway causes the bearing failure, and the flaking mechanism depends on the lubrication condition. In the case of ideal lubrication condition with sufficient oil film thickness, the flaking originates from a non-metallic inclusion at the subsurface. It occurs through the formation of butterfly structure due to stress concentration around the inclusion. Therefore, the countermeasure of this type of flaking is to make cleaner steel by the reduction of inclusions. However, further reduction of inclusion imposes an extra challenge for the current steel making process. Therefore, in this paper, the effect of neighbouring microstructure on the butterfly structure is evaluated to propose a new life improvement method for rolling contact fatigue. It was suggested that it’s important to eliminate strain localization near inclusion for improving bearing life.