Materials Science and Technology· 2016Q2· Review
An updated review: White etching cracks (WECs) and axial cracks in wind turbine gearbox bearings
- 209citations
- Q2SCImago
- 2016year
Short summary
White etching cracks (WECs) and axial cracks cause premature failure in wind turbine gearbox bearings within 6-24 months, well below their 20-year design life.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Key points
- Premature failure in wind turbine gearbox bearings is often caused by white etching cracks (WECs) and axial cracks.
- These cracks lead to white structure flaking (WSF) and can appear within 6-24 months of operation.
- The underlying mechanisms and drivers for WEC and white etching area (WEA) formation are still not fully understood.
- The review covers WEC analysis methods, WEA microstructural changes, crack propagation theories, and resistance technologies.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
The actual service life of wind turbine gearboxes is often well below the desired 20 years. One of the prevalent failure modes in gearbox bearing raceways is white structure flaking (WSF) in as little as 6–24 months of operation by the formation of axial cracks and white etching cracks (WECs) with associated microstructural change called white etching areas (WEAs). Despite these failures having been observed for two decades in various industries, the drivers and mechanisms for their formation are still highly contested. Discussed in this review are methods for searching and analysing WECs, mechanisms for WEA microstructural change, WEC initiation and propagation theories, WSF formation drivers and finally technologies and processes offering resistance to WSF. This updated review serves as a recap, comprehensive update on findings, current focus areas and remaining challenges. This paper is part of a Themed Issue on Recent developments in bearing steels.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Materials Science and Technology, 2016 · DOI ↗
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Field: Metals and Alloys
Metals and AlloysMaterials Science