Failure assessment of subsurface rolling contact fatigue in surface hardened components

A failure assessment diagram for components subjected to rolling contact with hardness varying along the depth is presented.The approach takes into account the influence of inherent defects on subsurface fatigue: considering a 2D plane strain model, crack propagation from inherent defects was assessed in terms of applied stress intensity factor; defect-free fatigue was assessed in terms of the Dang Van stress.By analysing different combinations of loading condition, defect dimension and hardness profile, it was possible to obtain a general relationship for subsurface rolling contact fatigue prediction.A good agreement was found between predicted contact pressure limit and some published experimental results.

► In this paper we apply a failure assessment diagram to RCF of surface hardened components.
► Fatigue is assessed according to the Dang Van model.
► Inclusions are taken into account as inherent cracks.
► A diagram for predicting the fatigue limit contact pressure in presence of defects is obtained.
► Experimental verification is provided.