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Rolling Contact Fatigue Testing of Bearing Steels
ASTM Selected Technical Papers
Rolling Contact Fatigue Testing of Bearing Steels
By
JJC Hoo
JJC Hoo
1
Acciaierie e Ferriere Lombarde Falck, S.p.A. of Milano
,
Italy
;
Acciaierie di Bolzano, S.p.A. of Bolzano
,
Italy
;
symposium chairman and editor
.
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ISBN-10:
0-8031-0712-9
ISBN:
978-0-8031-0712-0
No. of Pages:
425
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1520/STP771-EB
Publisher:
ASTM International
Publication date:
1982
eBook Chapter

NASA Five-Ball Fatigue Tester—Over 20 Years of Research

By
EV Zaretsky
EV Zaretsky
1
Head of the Bearing, Gearing and Transmission Section, research manager of Bearings and Materials, and chief of the Mechanical Technologies Branch
, respectively,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lewis Research Center
,
Cleveland, Ohio 44135
.
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,
RJ Parker
RJ Parker
1
Head of the Bearing, Gearing and Transmission Section, research manager of Bearings and Materials, and chief of the Mechanical Technologies Branch
, respectively,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lewis Research Center
,
Cleveland, Ohio 44135
.
Search for other works by this author on:
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,
WJ Anderson
WJ Anderson
1
Head of the Bearing, Gearing and Transmission Section, research manager of Bearings and Materials, and chief of the Mechanical Technologies Branch
, respectively,
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Lewis Research Center
,
Cleveland, Ohio 44135
.
Search for other works by this author on:
This Site
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Doi:
https://doi.org/10.1520/STP36131S
Page Count:
41
  • Published:
    1982

This paper reviews, from both a technical and a historical perspective, the results of research conducted using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration five-ball fatigue tester. The test rig was conceived by W. J. Anderson in late 1958. The first data were generated in March 1959. Since then a total of approximately 500 000 test hours have been accumulated on a group of eight test rigs which are capable of running 24 h a day, 7 days a week. Studies have been conducted to determine the effect on rolling element fatigue life of contact angle, material hardness, chemistry, heat treatment and processing, lubricant type and chemistry, elastohydrodynamic film thickness, deformation and wear, vacuum, and temperature, as well as hertzian and residual stresses. A correlation was established between the results obtained using the five-ball tester and those obtained with full-scale rolling element bearings.

Keywords:
rolling element fatigue, bearings, ball bearings, bearing steels, fatigue testing

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