Steel quality of rolling contact bearings produced by different manufacturers, used for mining equipment instrumentation

Abstract

Severe operating conditions of mining equipment have a negative impact on the operating life of the rolling contact bearings used in such equipment. The main reasons for the premature failure of rolling contact bearings include, first of all, poor quality of the bearing steel as delivered and the defects of their subsequent heat treatment. The abovementioned reasons result in splitting of bearings, metal shelling and appearance of potholes on their tracks, as well as intense abrasive wear. Nevertheless, despite the importance of this issue, the quality of bearing steel, either as delivered or in finished bearings, is usually not under control.To solve this problem, the quality of bearing steel was studied, exemplified by the bearings of the Russian, Swedish (SKF) and Japanese (NSK) manufacturers, i.e., main suppliers of rolling contact bearings for mining equipment in Russia. The problem of bearing steel quality control was solved by developing a quality control methodology that took into account the state of the metal after metallurgical treatment and at the stage of bearing production. Based on this methodology, the main types of bearing steel defects affecting the mechanism of bearing failure are identified.It is found that the bearing steel quality of domestic manufacturers is highly competitive with foreign counterparts. A method of nondestructive control is also proposed for detecting possible microstructure defects in bearings, either as delivered or while in operation.