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3 3 Active links !

Different types of bearing damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Wear caused by abrasive particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Wear caused by inadequate lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Wear caused by vibration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Indentations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Indentations caused by faulty mounting or overloading . . . . . 8 Indentations caused by foreign particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Smearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Smearing of roller ends and guide ange . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Skid smearings of rollers and raceways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Raceway smearing at intervals corresponding to the roller spacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Smearing of external surfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Surface distress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Corrosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

16 17

Deep-seated rust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Fretting corrosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Electric current damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Flaking (spalling) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

21 24 24

Cracks caused by rough treatment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cracks caused by excessive drive-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cracks caused by smearing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Cracks caused by fretting corrosion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Cage damage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Ref: TI 7604; SRB/SRTB Handbook 1993-04

Different types of bearing damage

Each of the different causes of bearing failure inadequate or unsuitable lubrication, careless handling, ineffective sealing, incorrect ts, etc. produces its own characteristic damage. Such damage, known as primary damage, gives rise to secondary, failure-inducing damage aking and cracks. Even the primary damage may necessitate scrapping the bearings because of, for instance, excessive internal clearance, vibrations, noise, and so on. A failed bearing frequently displays a combination of primary and secondary damage. The types of damage may be classied as follows:

Primary damage

Secondary damage

Flaking Flaking Wear Cracks Indentations Smearing Surface distress Corrosion Electric current damage

Wear
In normal cases there is no appreciable wear in rolling bearings. Wear may, however, occur as a result of the ingress of foreign particles into the bearing or when the lubrication is unsatisfactory. Vibrations in bearings which are not running can also cause wear.

Wear caused by abrasive particles Appearance

Small indentations in the raceways and rollers. Dull, worn surfaces. Lubricant darkened.

Cause
Lack of cleanliness before and during mounting.

Action
Do not unpack bearing before it is to be mounted. Keep workshop clean and use clean tools. Always use fresh clean lubricant. Wipe the grease nipples. Filter the oil. Check and if possible, improve the sealing.

Lubricant contaminated by wear particles.

Ineffective seals.

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Small abrasive particles, such as grit or grinding debris that have entered the bearing, cause wear of raceways, rolling elements and cages. The surfaces become dull to a degree that varies according to the coarseness and nature of the abrasive particles. Sometimes wear particles from cages give lightcoloured grease a darker colour. The quantity of abrasive particles gradually increases as material is worn away from the running surfaces and cages. Therefore the wear becomes an accelerating process and in the end the surfaces become worn to such an extent as to render the bearing unserviceable. However, it is not necessary to scrap bearings that are only slightly worn. They can be used again after cleaning. The abrasive particles may have got into the bearing because the sealing arrangement was not sufciently effective. They may also have entered with contaminated lubricant or during the mounting operation. Another often forgotten contamination source is housings and lubrication pipe systems that have not been cleaned internally.

Fig. 2 Outer ring of a spherical roller bearing with raceways that have been worn by abrasive particles. It is easy to feel with the nger where the dividing line goes between worn and unworn sections.

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Wear caused by inadequate lubrication Appearance

Worn, frequently mirror-like surfaces; at a later stage blue to brown discolortion bands.

Cause
Lubricant has gradually been used up or has lost its lubricatating properties. The value is too low. Too much water in the lubricant.

Action
Check that the lubricant reaches the bearing. More frequent relubrication. Choose higher viscosity. Reduce lubricant water content or replace lubricant.

If there is not sufcient lubricant, or if the lubricant has lost its lubricating properties, it is not possible for an oil lm with sufcient carrying capacity to form. Metal-to-metal contact occurs between rolling elements and raceways. In its initial phase, the wear that then results has roughly the same effect as lapping. The peaks of the microscopic asperities, that remain after the production processes, are torn off and, at the same time, a certain rolling-out effect is obtained. This gives the surfaces concerned a varying degree of mirrorlike nish. At this stage surface distress can also arise, see page 15. If the lubricant is completely used up the temperature will rise rapidly. The surfaces

Fig. 3 a Outer ring of a spherical roller bearing that has not been adequately lubricated. The raceways have a mirror nish. The indentations are caused by foreign particles. b Spherical roller with mirror-like surface due to lubricant starvation.

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take on blue to brown discoloration bands. These discolorations appear mainly where grease lubrication is used. The temperature may even become so high as to cause the hardened material soften or even the bearing to seize up.

Fig. 4a Roller of a spherical roller bearing with brown bands due to lubricant starvation. Fig. 4b Inner ring of spherical roller with brown bands due to lubricant starvation.

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Wear caused by vibration Appearance

Raceways with depressions that are shiny or rusty at the bottom.

Cause
The bearing has been exposed to vibrations while not running.

Action
Secure the bearing during transportation, by radial preloading. Provide a vibrationdamping base. Employ oil bath lubrication where possible.

When the bearing is not running, there is no lubricant lm between the rolling elements and the raceways. The absence of lubricant lm gives metal-tometal contact and the vibrations produce small relative movements of rollers and rings. As a result of these movements, small particles break away from the surfaces and this leads to the formation of depressions in the raceways. This damage is known as false brinelling. In many cases it is possible to see red rust at the bottom of the depressions. This is caused by oxidation of the detached particles (which have a large area in relation to their volume) as a result of their exposure to air. There is never any visible damage to the rolling elements.

Fig. 5 Vibration damage to the inner ring of a cylindrical roller bearing. The damage has arisen while the bearing was not running. It is evident, from the fainter uting discernible between the pronounced depressions with corroded bottoms, that the ring has changed position for short periods. In principle, the same pattern would appear on the raceways of a spherical roller bearing inner ring.

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The uting resulting from vibrations sometimes closely resembles the uting produced by the passage of electric current. However, in the latter case the bottom of the depressions is dark in colour, not shiny or corroded. The damage caused by electric current is also distinguishable by the fact that the rollers are marked as well.

Indentations
Raceways and rolling elements may become dented if mounting pressure is applied incorrectly and if the bearing is subjected to abnormal loading while not running. Foreign particles in the bearing also cause indentations.

Indentations caused by faulty mounting or overloading Appearance

Indentations in the raceways of both rings with spacing equal to the distance between the rollers.

Cause
Mounting pressure applied to the wrong ring. Excessively hard driveup on tapered seating.

Action
Apply the mounting pressure to the ring with the interference t. Follow carefully the SKF instructions concerning mounting bearings on tapered seating. Avoid overload or use bearings with higher basic static load ratings.

Overloading while not running.

Indentations in raceways and rollers occur when the bearing, while not running, is subjected to abnormally heavy loading in the form of impacts or pressure. The distance between the dents is the same as the roller spacing. If mounting pressure is applied to the wrong ring the damage originates as smearing, and subsequently, if the pressure increases, develops into a dent ( Fig. 10).

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Indentations caused by foreign particles Appearance

Small indentations distributed around the raceways of both rings and on the rollers.

Cause
Ingress of foreign particles into the bearing.

Action
Cleanliness to be observed during the mounting operation. Filter the lubricant. Improve seals.

Foreign particles, such as swarf and burrs, which have entered the bearing cause indentations when rolled into the raceways by the rolling elements. The particles need not even be hard; thin pieces of paper and thread from cotton waste and cloth used for drying can produce indentations. Indentations caused by these particles are in most cases small and distributed all over the raceways.

Fig. 6 Indentations caused by dirt in one of the raceways of a spherical roller bearing. 50 magnication.

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Smearing
When two inadequately lubricated surfaces slide against each other under load, material may be transferred from one surface to the other. This is known as smearing and the surfaces concerned become ripped up and look torn. When smearing occurs, the material is sometimes heated (locally) to such temperatures that rehardening takes place. This produces localised stress concentrations that may cause cracking or aking. In rolling bearings, sliding primarily occurs at the roller end/ guide ange interfaces. Smearing may also arise when the rollers are subject to severe acceleration on their entry into the loaded zone. If the bearing rings rotate relative to the shaft or housing, this may cause smearing in the bore and on the outside surface and ring faces too.

Fig. 7 Smearing of the surface of a roller from a spherical roller bearing. 100 magnication.

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Smearing of roller ends and guide ange Appearance

Torn and discoloured roller ends and ange faces.

Cause
Sliding under heavy axial loading and with inadequate lubrication.

Action
More suitable lubricant.

In spherical roller bearings with an integral central ange, smearing may occur on the guiding faces of the ange and the end of the rollers. This smearing is attributable to insufcient lubricant between ange and rollers. It occurs when a heavy axial load acts in one direction over a long period. In cases where the axial load changes direction, smearing is much less common as the opportunity is provided for the ingress of lubricant when the roller end is temporarily relieved of load. Such smearing can be avoided to a considerable extent by selecting a suitable lubricant.

Skid smearing of rollers and raceways Appearance

Torn and discoloured areas at the start of the loaded zone in raceways and on the surface of rollers.

Cause
Roller acceleration on entry to the loaded zone.

Action
More suitable lubricant. Reduce clearance, if appropriate.

In certain circumstances, smearing may occur on the surface of rollers and in raceways. This is caused by roller rotation being retarded in the unloaded zone, where the rollers are not driven by the rings. Consequently the speed of rotation of the rollers is then lower than when they are in the loaded zone. Upon entry to this zone, the rollers are therefore subject to rapid acceleration and the resultant sliding is so severe that it may produce smearing. One way of overcoming this problem is to select a more suitable lubricant. It may also be expedient to reduce the bearing internal clearance. A similar type of smearing may occur when the bearing is very lightly loaded, i.e. below the recommended minimum load. Operating conditions with rapidly changing loads increase the risk of skid smearing.

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Fig. 8 Skid smearing in both raceways of a spherical roller bearing outer ring.

Fig. 9 Skid smearing on the raceways of a spherical roller bearing inner ring.

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Raceway smearing at intervals corresponding to the roller spacing Appearance

Transverse smearing streaks in the raceways spaced at intervals equal to the distance between the rollers.

Cause
Blows applied to the wrong ring or heavy preloading without rotating the bearing.

Action
Rotate the bearing when it is being adjusted. Apply the mounting force against the ring with the tightest t. Never allow the force to pass through the rollers. Lubricate the bearing immediately after washing, especially if the bearing clearance is small.

The inner ring assembly has been swivelled after washing, while there was no lubricant between rollers and rings.

Smearing streaks may be found in the raceways of spherical roller bearings. These streaks are the result of careless handling or incorrect mounting practice. Impacts or heavy pressure applied to the wrong ring, without rotating the bearing, can cause the rollers to produce narrow, transverse streaks of smearing in the raceways. Bearings have to be lubricated immediately after washing because the clean metallic surfaces are susceptible to smearing when sliding against each other.

Fig. 10 Outer ring raceway of a spherical roller bearing with smear streaks caused by blows against the inner ring.

Fig. 11 One of the smear streaks shown in Fig. 10. 50 magnication.

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Smearing of external surfaces Appearance

Torn and discoloured ring bore or outside surface or faces.

Cause
Ring rotation relative to shaft or housing.

Action
Select heavier interference ts.

Smearing may occur on the external surfaces of heavily loaded bearings. The smearing has then resulted from movement of the bearing ring relative to its shaft or housing. Smearing of the inner ring bore, outer ring outside surface and ring faces can only be avoided if the ts are tight enough to prevent movement of the ring concerned in relation to its seating. Heavier axial compression does not help in the case of inner rings.

Fig. 12 Smeared outside surface of a spherical roller bearing outer ring. Material transfer has occurred from housing bore to bearing ring.

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Surface distress
Appearance
Initially the damage is not visible to the naked eye. A more advanced stage is marked by small, shallow craters with crystalline fracture surfaces.

Cause
Inadequate or improper lubrication.

Action
Improvelubrication.

If the lubricant lm between raceways and rolling elements becomes too thin, the peaks of the surface asperities will momentarily come in contact with each other. Small cracks then form in the surfaces and this is known as surface distress. These cracks must not be confused with the fatigue cracks that originate beneath the surface and lead to aking. The surface distress cracks are microscopically small and increase very gradually to such a size that they interfere with the smooth running of the bearing. If the lubrication remains satisfactory throughout, i.e. the lubricant lm does not become too thin because of lubricant starvation or viscosity changes induced by the rising temperature or by excessive loading, there is no risk of surface distress. Fig. 14 Surface distress in the form of a band encircling a roller from a spherical roller bearing.

Fig. 13 The surface distress shown in Fig. 14.

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Corrosion
Rust will form if water or corrosive agents get into the bearing in such quantities that the lubricant cannot provide protection for the steel surfaces. This process will soon lead to deep-seated rust. Another type of corrosion is fretting corrosion.

Deep-seated rust Appearance

Greyish-black streaks across the raceways, mostly coinciding with the roller spacing.

Cause
Presence of water, moisture or corrosive substances in the bearing over a long period of time.

Action
Improve sealing. Use lubricant with better inhibiting properties.

A thin protective oxide lm forms on clean steel surfaces exposed to air. However, this lm is not impenetrable and if water or corrosive elements make contact with the steel surfaces, patches of etching will form. This development soon leads to deep-seated rust. Deep seated rust is a great danger to bearings since it can initiate aking or cracks. Acid liquids corrode the steel quickly, while alkaline solutions are less dangerous. The salts that are present in fresh water constitute, together with the water, an electrolyte which causes galvanic corrosion, known as water etching. Salt water, such as sea water, is therefore highly dangerous to bearings.

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Fig. 15 Deep-seated rust on a roller of a spherical roller bearing, caused by water during standstill.

Fig. 16 Deep-seated rust in outer ring raceway of a spherical roller bearing, caused by water in the bearing during standstill.

Fig. 17 Etched and rusty rollers of a spherical roller bearing, caused by moisture during standstill.

Fig. 18 Etched and rusty outer ring raceway of a spherical roller bearing, caused by moisture during standstill.

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Fretting corrosion Appearance

Areas of rust on the outside surface of the outer ring or in the bore of the inner ring. Raceway path pattern heavily marked at corresponding positions.

Cause
Fit too loose. Shaft or housing seating with errors of form.

Action
Adjust seatings.

If the thin oxide lm is penetrated, oxidation will proceed deeper into the material. An instance of this is the corrosion that occurs when there is a small relative movement between bearing ring and shaft or housing, on account of the t being too loose. This type of rusting is called fretting corrosion and may be relatively deep. The relative movement may also cause small particles of material to become detached from the surface. These particles oxidize quickly when exposed to the oxygen in the atmosphere. As a result of the fretting corrosion, the bearing rings may not be evenly supported and this has a detrimental effect on the load distribution in the bearings. Rusted areas also act as fracture notches.

Fig. 19 Fretting corrosion on the outer ring of a spherical roller bearing. Fig. 20 Fretting corrosion in the bore of a spherical roller bearing inner ring.

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Electric current damage

Appearance
Dark brown or greyishblack uting (corrugation) or craters in raceways and rollers. Localised burns in raceways.

Cause
Passage of electric current.

Action
Re-route the current to bypass the bearing. When welding, arrange earthing to prevent current passing through the bearing.

When an electric current passes through a bearing, i.e. proceeds from one ring to the other via the rollers, raceways may be damaged. At the contact surfaces the process is similar to electric arc welding. The material is heated to temperatures ranging from tempering to melting levels. This leads to the appearance of discoloured areas, varying in size, where the material has been tempered, re-hardened or melted. Small craters also form where the metal has melted. The passage of electric current frequently leads to the formation of uting (corrugation) in the bearing raceways and rollers.

Fig. 21 Fluting, caused by passage of electric current, in the outer ring of a spherical roller bearing.

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It can be difcult to distinguish between electric current damage and vibration damage. A feature of the uting caused by electric current is the dark bottom of the corrugations, as opposed to the shiny or rusty bottom of the vibrationinduced uting. Another distinguishing feature is the lack of damage to the rollers of bearings with raceway uting caused by vibrations. Both alternating and direct currents cause damage to bearings. Even low amperage currents are dangerous. Non-rotating bearings are much more resistant to electric current damage than bearings in rotation. The extent of the damage depends on a number of factors: current intensity, duration, bearing load, rotational speed and lubricant. The only way of avoiding damage of this nature is to prevent any electric current passing through the bearing

Fig. 22 Local long crater, caused by passage of electric current, on the roller of a spherical roller bearing.

Fig. 23 Local craters, caused by passage of electric current, on the roller of a spherical roller bearing.

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Flaking (spalling)
As already mentioned, aking can occur as a result of normal fatigue, i.e. the bearing has reached the end of its nominal life span. However, this is not the most common cause of aking since, with the aid of the simple SKF basic rating life equation, it is possible to select bearings with lives that are at least as long as those of the other machine components. The aking detected in bearings can generally be attributed to other factors. If the aking is discovered at an early stage, when the damage is not too extensive, it is frequently possible to diagnose its cause and take action to prevent a recurrence of the trouble. When aking has proceeded to a certain stage, it makes its presence known in the form of noise and vibrations, which serve as a warning that it is time to change the bearing. The causes of premature aking may be heavier external loading than had been anticipated, preloading on account of incorrect ts or excessive drive-up a tapered seating, distortion due to shaft or housing seating form errors, axial compression as a result of, for instance, thermal expansion, etc. Flaking may also be caused by other types of damage, such as indentations, deep-seated rust, electric current damage or smearing.

Cracks
Cracks may form in bearing rings for various reasons. The most common cause is rough treatment when the bearings are being mounted or dismounted. Hammer blows, applied direct against the ring or via a hardened chisel, may cause ne cracks to form, with the result that pieces of the ring break off when the bearing is put into service. Excessive drive-up a tapered seating or sleeve is another cause of ring cracking. The tensile stresses, arising in the ring as a result of the excessive drive-up, produce cracks when the bearing is put into operation. The same result may be obtained when bearings are heated and then mounted on shafts manufactured to the wrong tolerances. The smearing described in an earlier section may also produce cracks at right angles to the direction of slide. Cracks of this kind may produce fractures right across the rings. Flaking, that has occurred for some reason or other, acts as a fracture notch and may lead to cracking of the bearing ring. The same applies to fretting corrosion.

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Cracks caused by rough treatment Appearance

Cracks or pieces broken off, generally in/from one face of the bearing ring.

Cause
Blows, with hammer or hardened chisel, have been directed against the ring when the bearing was being mounted.

Action
Always use a soft drift or mounting sleeve. Never subject the bearing to direct hits.

Cracks caused by excessive drive-up Appearance

The bearing ring has cracked right through and has lost its grip on the shaft.

Cause
Excessive drive-up a tapered seating or sleeve against the ring when the bearing was being mounted. Interference t on cylindrical seating too heavy.

Action
Follow carefully the SKF instruction concerning bearings on tapered seatings. Change the t.

Cracks caused by smearing Appearance

Crack(s) in conjunction with smearing of the bearing ring. The ring may have cracked right across. Smearing cracks generally form across the smearing.

Cause
Smearing.

Cracks caused by fretting corrosion Appearance

Crack, transverse in inner rings and generally longitudinal in outer rings, in conjunction with fretting corrosion.

Cause
Fretting corrosion.

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Fig. 24 Spherical roller bearing inner ring that has cracked right across following smearing of one face. This ring has been mounted to abut a spacer, but has not had a sufciently tight t on the shaft. Consequently, the ring has rotated relative to the shaft and the spacer.

Fig. 25 Smearing damage on the face of a bearing ring. Note the incipient transverse cracks.

Fig. 26 Spherical roller bearing inner ring with fretting corrosion and a transverse crack right through the ring. The fretting corrosion has caused the cracking.

Fig. 27 Longitudinal crack in outer ring with fretting corrosion.

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Cage damage
If, on examination of a failed bearing, a cage is found to be damaged, it may in many cases prove to be difcult to ascertain the cause. Usually other components of the bearing are damaged too and this makes it even more difcult to discover the reason for the trouble. However, there are certain main causes of cage failure, namely vibration, excessive rotational speeds, wear and blockage.

Vibrations
When a bearing is exposed to vibrations, the forces of inertia may be so great that fatigue cracks form in the cage material after a time. Sooner or later these cracks lead to cage failure. Vibrations may be divided into two types:

a Eccentric motion of the bearing generating vibrations which give heavy

accelerations. This type of vibration causes fatigue of the cage bars. A typical example is shaking screens.

Fig. 28a Illustrates the type of vibration which generates heavy accelerations by the eccentric motion of the bearing. This type of motion generates heavy mass forces acting on the cages and their lands.

Fig. 28b Illustrates the type of vibration from other parts of the machinery or the surroundings. The latter include deck vibrations in ships and impacts from rail joints. If the duration of this type of vibration is considerably less than the time it takes for a roller to pass through the unloaded zone, the rollers may cause hammering damage to the cages.

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b Vibrations from other parts of the machinery or the surroundings that

generate peak accelerations. This type of vibration causes hammering of the cage pockets. By heavy hammering the shakedown limit for the cage material is exceeded and the cage bars are plastically deformed. This process leads to the cage pocket clearance increasing and consequently the hammering effect accelerates until the cage bars fracture. Typical examples are impacts on bearings from rail joints and deck vibrations in ships.

Wear
Cage wear may be caused by inadequate lubrication, by excessive roller skew (caused by inadequate lubrication), by high temperature or by abrasive particles. The idea with rolling bearings is of course to avoid sliding friction. However, where the cages are concerned, sliding cannot be eliminated in the contacts with the other components of the bearing. This explains why the cages are the rst components to be affected when the lubrication becomes inadequate. The cages are always made of softer material than the other components of the bearing and consequently wear comparatively quickly. As the cage pockets increase in size, due to wear, the roller guidance deteriorates, and this also applies in cases where the cages are centred on the rollers. The resultant forces may lead to cage failure within a short space of time. At operating temperatures around 200 C the strain-hardened zones of unhardened steel cages start to soften and this leads to increased wear of the cage contact surfaces.

Blockage
Fragments of aked material or other hard particles may get wedged between a cage and a roller, preventing the latter from rotating around its own axis. This leads to cage failure. Cages in bearings subject to severe acceleration and retardation, in conjunction with uctuations in rotational speed, are affected by forces of inertia. These give rise to considerable pressures between the contacting surfaces, with consequent heavy wear.

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Fig. 29 A spherical roller bearing cage with bars deformed by roller hammering. The rollers have been exposed to very high impact accelerations. The cage pocket clearance has gradually increased and consequently also the hammering effect.

Fig. 30 A spherical roller bearing cage pocket with corner crack caused by roller hammering. The rollers have been exposed to excessive impact accelerations.

Fig. 31 Wear of the outer part of both raceways of a spherical roller bearing inner ring. This damage has been caused by the cages being exposed to, for instance: Inadequate lubrication excessive cage accelerations on starting-up Excessive centrifugal accelerations (vibrations) Excessive impact-induced accelerations (hammering situation)

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