Reid Fisher wrote:
> You metallurgists: what's the mechanism (at the micro scale) for
> pitting? Does it start at some kind of micro-irregularity in the
> bearing where stress is concentrated?
According to Jobst Brandt, the pitting is caused by fretting due to lubrication failure. In the absence of effective lubrication, microscopic welds form between the balls and the cones; when these are torn apart by rotation of the wheel, pieces of the cone material come with it, leaving a pit. Once a pit forms, it will tend to grow and spread.
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John (john@os2.dhs.org)
Appleton WI USA