The Fatigue Crack Initiation Life Prediction Based on Several High-Cycle Fatigue Criteria under Spherical Rolling Contact

In this study, the simulation of rolling contact fatigue is conducted under spherical contact. To predict a crack initiation life accurately, it is necessary to calculate contact stress and subsurface stresses accurately. Contact stresses are obtained by contact analysis of a semi-infinite solid based on the use of influence functions and the subsurface stress field is obtained using rectangular patch, solutions. Based on these stress values, several multiaxial high-cycle fatigue criteria are used and the critical loads corresponding to fatigue limits are calculated. The criteria were classified into three categories, namely the critical plane approach, the stress invariant approach and the approach based on the mesoscopic scale. The simulation results show that the critical load is decreasing rapidly and the site of crack initiation also moves rapidly to the surface from the subsurface when the friction coefficient exceeds a specific value for all three fatigue criteria.