The Four Stages of Rolling Bearing Failure

Time：2020.12.10  Source：Roller Bearings Suppliers

The development of rolling bearing is not a linear process, but an exponential process. In different degradation stages, fault information appears in different frequency band ranges, so different fault detection methods should be adopted. At present, it is generally believed in the industry that the degradation of rolling bearings can be divided into four stages.

Stage 1—Initial bearing failure

Bearing at this stage in the first time the surface microscopic cracks or lattice mismatch, while bearing surface can't see the crack or small spalling, the vibration signal not obvious impact to low-frequency signal, using traditional acceleration sensor can't pick up the fault signal, but The Times or micro-crack on the surface of the lattice mismatch will produce acoustic emission signals or stress wave signal. Therefore, the fault characteristics of bearings at this stage are mainly reflected in the ultrasonic frequency segment, which can be picked up by an acoustic emission sensor or resonance-based acceleration sensor, mainly manifested as the increase of the measured signal peak value or energy value.

Stage 2—Bearing failure development period

At this stage, the microscopic degradation of the bearing begins to expand from the subsurface to the surface, and the damage points such as cracks or tiny spalling occur on the contact surface of the bearing. When surface and the damage point contact bearing components, can form a certain frequency of shock pulse, based on Fourier transform, the short-term impact of the signal in the frequency domain is a broadband signal, so the impact signal will inevitably provoke bearing parts of high-frequency inherent frequency resonance occurs, so that the vibration strengthening, through the acceleration sensor can pick up to this part of the signal, using envelope demodulation technique could observe bearing fault characteristic frequency, at the end of phase 2 can also observe the frequency doubling fault characteristic frequency. Click here to learn more about WSBC 22320 E.

At this stage, the fault characteristic frequency of the bearing is temporarily submerged in the low frequency and high noise, so the fault characteristic frequency cannot be clearly observed in the fault characteristic frequency section.

Stage 3—Rapid development period of bearing failure

At this stage, with the accelerating development of bearing damage, damage to the impact of the bearing contact surface is more and more intense, in the bearing fault characteristic frequency of resonance frequency demodulation frequency doubling of more and more, and the size of the cyclical impact energy was enough to directly observed through the power spectrum of vibration signals, this time can be directly in the clear on the power spectrum of bearing vibration signals of the fault characteristic frequency, and the trend of frequency doubling, more and more. Need more information about WSBC 22222-E1-K, please click here.

Stage 4—the end of bearing failure

At this stage, the rolling bearing has nearly reached the end of its life, and the damage point can be observed by the naked eye. The noise of bearing movement becomes particularly loud, and the temperature rises rapidly. At this point, the bearing's fault characteristic frequency and its frequency multiplication can be clearly seen in the direct power spectrum. If the damage point enters the load zone alternately, the modulated edge frequency can also be seen obviously next to the fault characteristic frequency. In the fourth stage of the end of the spectrum, lines become is not very clear, will form a bulge in the power spectrum "thatched heap", also the high-frequency vibration energy also may not rise but lower at this moment, if it is found that the high frequency of monitoring quantity began to decline, not on the surface of bearing condition better, but that the end of the bearing is close to the life.

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