ECKA Granulate Essen GmbH

Bearing-Technologies

Dipl.-Ing. R. Koring, ECKA Granulate Essen GmbH, 2004

RULES FOR HANDLING WHITEMETAL-BEARING DAMAGES

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One might suppose that, all rules of construction and Bearing damages occurring after a long time of operation
calculation being observed, a whitemetal bearing should Bearing damages occurring after a long time of operation are
function hydrodynamically and free of wear in all eternity. in most cases due to static or dynamic overstress or fatigue of
However, practical operation keeps proving the contrary. metals. If such a damage occurs after, e.g. >160,000 operating
The service life of a whitemetal bearing always ends with a hours, depending on the type of machine, it must be
damage. There exist many reasons causing damage considered as a normal process. It is in such case uneconomic
mechanisms. to invest much into investigating the reasons. Damages
occurring after a long time of operation may also be caused by
Bearing damage standards a sudden change of the operating conditions.
What has to be considered as a bearing damage? The
standard DIN 31661 „Plain bearings - Terms, characteristics Rules for damage analysis
and causes of damage and changes in appearance“ deals A bearing damage always has a reason which has an effect.
with this topic and states: „The term -damage to plain As the interrelationships are rather complex, it is indispensible
bearings- includes all damage and changes in appearance to make a strict distinction between the two terms "type of
occurring in the bearing surface during operation, whether damage" and "damage pattern". In the course of the
or not the change or damage adversely affects the development of a bearing damage, typical damage
performance of the bearing“. This statement is of as little mechanisms are progressing, which are subdivided by the
use as the listing of different contact patterns, such as following types of damage and present themselves with
normal wear, edge wear, central wear, etc. The standard corresponding damage patterns.
contains a large number of photos of damages, but no clear
classification by type of damage and damage pattern. Some Type of damage:
important damage types and also damage causes are not
mentioned. It often turned out in practice that the application • Static overstress
of this standard usually leads to a misinterpretation of the • Dynamic overstress
situation. • Lack of lubricant
• Wear
Damage to whitemetal bearings • Overheating
When a bearing damage announces itself by increasing • Soiling
operating temperature and/or loss in oil pressure, then the • Conductive connection
operating safety of the machine will no longer be
• Cavitations
guaranteed. The machine has to be stopped and the reason
• Hydrogen diffusion
of the damage has to be found.
Damage pattern:
Most damages to whitemetal bearings are caused by
irregularities during operation. Damages will occur either
• Deposit of oil carbon
sooner or later. This is an essential distinctive feature. In
both cases, they show the same damage patterns, but they • Creep deformation
may have different reasons. Therefore, it is most important, • Deformation due to temperature changes
when analyzing a damage, to always take into consideration • Formation of hot cracks
the operating time up to the occurrence of the damage. • Paving stone cracks, loss of bond
• Cold corrosion
Bearing damages occurring after a short time of • Melting out
operation • Striae, traces of running
If a bearing damage occurs after a short time of operation, it • Traces of mixed friction
will often be due to changed conditions in connection with a • Blue, black colour
previous damage. Faulty assembly will also lead to an early • Corrosion, erosion
damage. Damages can also be caused by a sudden change • Residues, local deformation, formation of chip wool
of the operating conditions. • Electric arc craters
• Cavitation pattern

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 ECKA Granulate Essen GmbH
Bearing-Technologies

As circumstances are confused so often, we would like to
point out here expressly that the following terms do not
designate any types of damage:
Assembly fault is a reason.
In practice, it is a problem that, when assessing the bearing
damage, you only see the damage pattern which appeared last
and can directly allocate only the associated type of damage.
In most cases, however, this has no connection with the
damage reason.

Corrosion, erosion are damage patterns belonging to the
type of damage: soiling.
Cold corrosion is a damage pattern, belonging to the type of
damage: dynamic overstress.
Scuffing is a damage pattern: not useful for investigating
the reason (final stage of the type of damage: lack of
lubricant)
Total loss, broken down is no type of damage, but
expresses helplessness.
If the damage reason leads to a damage pattern, one might
assume that vice versa a damage pattern allows to draw
conclusions as to the reason of the damage.
In practice, this is only possible to a certain extent, as one
damage reason gives rise, one by one, to different types of
damage with the respective associated damage pattern.
The allocation becomes more and more difficult the more
the damage progresses in time and extent.
• Different reasons may lead to the same damage pattern.
• One reason may generate different damage patterns.
In case of damage, you must systematically identify and
compile all influences. The multitudes of individual pieces of
information have to be put together like a puzzle and their sum
contributes to localizing the possible damage reason. Finally,
this information explains the development of the damage up to
the visible damage pattern. This work can only be done
successfully if there is a comprehensive exchange of
information between the operator of the damaged machine and
the person whose task it is to find out the reason of the
damage.
Summary
It is of vital importance to recognize the reason of damage.
Only then will it be possible to take measures effectively
preventing a recurrence of the damage. When analyzing the
damage, you should strictly apply the above-mentioned rules
and terms. Otherwise, cause and effect will be confused again
and again, leading to misunderstandings and wrong
interpretations.

REASON We would strongly advise you against analysing damages by

means of comparing photos. This will always lead to incorrect

results.


Type of Damage  Damage Pattern Damages should exclusively be analyzed by experts

possessing comprehensive technical knowledge of whitemetal

bearing metallurgy, whitemetal bearings, and bearing

damages.
Type of Damage  Damage Pattern

If you have any questions concerning whitemetal damages,

ECKA Granulate Essen GmbH provide wide support.


Type of Damage  DAMAGE PATTERN
r.koring@ecka-granules.com

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 ECKA Granulate Essen GmbH
Bearing-Technologies

Damage Reason Type of Damage Damage Pattern

Deform. due to temp. changes

Residues, local deformation,

Striae, traces of running
Traces of mixed friction,
Formation of hot cracks

formation of chip wool

material displacement
Desposit of oil carbon

Paving stone cracks

Electric arc craters

Creep deformation

Corrosion, erosion
Blue, black colour

Cavitation pattern
Cold corrosion
Loss of bond

Melting out
Exceeded lifetime, pressure above limit in Static overstress
combination with frequently start up x x x x x
Exceeded lifetime, out-of-balance, support Dynamic overstress
defects x x x
Reduced clearance, filter defect, leakage, Lack of lubricant
reduced viscosity x x x
Low rotation speed Wear
x x
Procrastination of hot oil, oil cooling Overheating
defects, lack of heat flow, rapid shut down x x x x
solid or liquid contamination, chip wool Soiling
producing x x x x
Electricity Conductive connection
x
Gas or water in the oil, increased Cavitation
clearance, high flow velocity, sharp edges x
Unsufficient heat treatment Hydrogen diffusion
x

Table 1. Reasons, types of damage, damage patterns