This paper aims to investigate the effects of inhomogeneities on the rolling contact fatigue (RCF) life in elastohydrodynamically lubricated (EHL) point contacts.
A numerical model for predicting the RCF life of inhomogeneous materials in EHL contacts was established by combining the EHL model and the inclusion model through the eigen-displacement and then connecting to the RCF life model through the subsurface stresses. Effects of the type, size, location and orientation of a single inhomogeneity and the distribution of multiple inhomogeneities on the RCF life were investigated.
The RCF life of a half-space containing manganese sulfide (MnS) inhomogeneity or the mixed inhomogeneity of aluminium oxide (Al2O3) and calcium oxide (CaO) was longer than that for the case of Al2O3 inhomogeneity. For a single ellipsoidal MnS inhomogeneity, increases of its semi-axis length and decreases of its horizontal distance between the inhomogeneity and the contact center shortened the RCF life. Furthermore, the relationship between the depth of a single MnS inhomogeneity and the RCF life was found. For the half-space containing multiple inhomogeneitites, the RCF life decreased remarkably compared with the homogeneous half-space and showed discreteness.
This paper implements the prediction of the RCF life of inhomogeneous materials under EHL condition.
