Microstructural Alterations in Bearing Steels under Rolling Contact Fatigue Part 1—Historical Overview

Microstructural alterations in bearing steels during rolling contact cycling have been reported in the literature for more than half a century. These structural changes are primarily caused by the decay of parent martensite and have been designated as white and dark etching regions due to their preferential etching characteristics. One of the most striking features of the white etching bands is their repeatable directionality, which has puzzled investigators for decades. Despite numerous attempts, a satisfactory explanation for the orientation of these bands is still not available. In this article (Part 1), an overview of the phenomenon is presented with detailed discussion of various experimental observations from the literature. The article also examines the previous approaches adopted to explain white etching bands and address their limitations. In Part II of the article, a J2-based elastic–plastic finite element model coupled with a carbon diffusion model is developed that directionally predicts the occurrence and orientation of the white etching bands.