Failure Analysis of Steel Bearing Plates

摘要

Steel bearing plates appeared to have failed during service due to wear damage. The subsequent failure analysis revealed that the observed surface damage was the result of widespread plastic deformation and smearing associated with a network of surface crazing, rather than wear. Additionally, the majority of the bearing plates examined met microstructural specifications, although both the carbon and manganese contents were below the specified limits. The deficiencies in carbon and manganese lowered the hardenabiliry of the alloy and may have contributed to the need for an overly severe quench during the heat treatment processing employed during manufacture.