Article
HIGHLIGHTS• A loading frame was designed to simulate bearing overloads on the ENGIN-X strain diffractometer at ISIS neutron source, UK.• Neutron transmission imaging was used to map a Bragg edge fitting parameter, associated with material yielding.• It was demonstrated that bearing overloads generate regions of subsurface plasticity in overloaded roller bearings.• Subsurface deformation, observed during roller bearing overload events, appears to reduce the bearings life expectancy. Premature failure of wind turbine gearbox bearings is an ongoing concern for industry, with sudden overload events potentially contributing towards raceway damage, significantly hindering performance. Subsurface stresses generated along a line contact cause material yielding, and a probable crack initiation site. Currently, the ability to study subsurface plastic zone evolution using non-destructive techniques is limited. Neutron Bragg edge imaging is a novel technique, allowing for two-dimensional mapping of the Bragg edge broadening parameter, indicative of bulk plastic deformation. An experiment on the ENGIN-X strain scanning instrument, at the ISIS neutron source, UK, was setup for Bragg edge transmission imaging, to measure the effect of in situ loading on the raceway of a bearing, scaled-down from a traditional wind turbine gearbox bearing. Results demonstrate a strong correlation between load and the Bragg edge width, and allow for future experimental development in studying, not only the effect of overloads on fatigue life, but also the use of neutron imaging for evaluating plastic deformation in engineering components.
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