Failure investigation of a taper roller bearing: A case study

• Investigation on premature failure of tapered roller bearing to identify the root cause.
• A detailed study on the failed bearing was made including visual examination, chemical composition, micro hardness, microstructure, retained austenite measurement, wear debris analysis and scanning electron microscope (SEM) studies.
• The reason for premature failure was traced to misalignment that led to uneven load distribution of the rollers and the raceway.
• Illustrated failure mechanism is in concurrence with the damage observed on the failed bearing.