X-Ray Tomography in the Diagnostics of Roller Bearing Rings

摘要

The article presents the application of computed tomography (CT) for the detection of internal material defects in roller bearing rings made of steel. The tests were conducted using a set of four rings with different defects created artificially by means of electric discharge machining. In each test ring, several defects of the same type could be observed; however, they differed in terms of their size and geometry. The defects analysed had the form of internal blind holes with axes transverse or parallel to the surface of the track of the bearing - internal blind rectangular holes, and through slits in the inner cylindrical surface. The tests were conducted using a "V[tome|x s" X-ray CT scanner (tomograph) by GE. The roentgenograms of test objects were taken and then reconstructed in 3D. Each defect was visualised in different section planes of a reconstructed ring. Selected defects were represented in a solid form, and the measurements were taken in order to determine their geometry and volume. The tests confirmed that CT can be used in studies on such internal material defects in roller bearing rings as subsurface voids. All artificially made model defects were detected.