The influence of asperity statistics on surface distress and spalling life of Hertzian contacts

Recent spalling life prediction models emphasize the role of surface defects in spalling life. Surface distress microspalling in asperity dimensions is one of the main sources of these defects. This paper describes surface distress defect formation in rolling contact using the Greenwood-Williamson surface roughness model. The defect distribution obtained is incorporated into the spalling fatigue life model recently proposed by the author, and the resulting life predictions are evaluated