Investigations of Bearing

Failures Associated with White

Etching Areas (irWEAs) in
Wind Turbine Gearboxes
by
Robert Errichello, Robert Budny,
and Rainer Eckert
STLE, Detroit May 6-9, 2013
NREL GRC Feb. 11, 2014
1

Outline of Presentation

Field experience from operating WTs that

compares thru-hard and carburized brgs;
Thru-hard brgs develop irWEAs & axial
cracks, whereas carburized do not;
For two rotor brgs w/ different carburized
metallurgies, one developed irWEAs and
failed by macropitting, whereas the other
was immune to irWEAs and did not fail.
2

Alterations v. stress & cycles

Intermediate bearings

NJ 2334 Cylindrical-roller bearing (CRB);

Two manufacturers: A and B;
INT-A: Carburized, failure rate = 1
(secondary);
INT-B: Through-hardened, failure rate =
16%.

Axial cracks on INT-B IR

Axial cracks on INT-B IR

irWEAs on axial crack

Opened axial crack on INT-B IR

Residual stress for INT brgs

Retained austenite for INT brgs

10

Rotor bearings

Special Tapered-roller bearing (TRB);

Two manufacturers: C and D;
ROT-C: Carburized, failure rate = 0;
ROT-D: Carburized, failure rate = 17%.

11

Macropitting on ROT-D IR

12

Macropit & irWEAs on ROT-D IR

13

Macropit & irWEAs on ROT-D IR

14

Residual stress on rotor brgs

15

Retained austenite on rotor brgs

16

irWEAs on ROT-D IR

17

Conclusions
1. Thru-hard brgs fail by axial cracks,
whereas carburized brgs fail by
macropitting;
2. Thru-hard brgs display irWEAS on axial
cracks that grow radially thru the brg IR;
3. Carburized brgs are more durable in the
WT environment than thru-hard brgs and
might be immune to irWEAs if retained
austenite 20%;
18

Conclusions (cont.)
4. Carburized brgs with < 20% retained
austenite display irWEAs on crack
networks that occur over large
subsurface areas. When cracks reach the
surface they form macropits; and
5. Carburized brgs with 20% retained
austenite might be immune to irWEAs
and avoid premature macropitting.
19