“…[19][20][21][22][23][24] This idea has been applied to a common bearing steel where WEM was observed in the microstructure following high-strain rate compression tests, leading to the conclusion that the high-angle white-etching bands, and possibly white-etching butterfly wings, that are observed in bearings are the result of adiabatic shear localisation. 17 However, an alternative interpretation is that the uniaxial compression causes the formation of cracks, and the crack faces then rub together under the influence of the compressive stress to form the WEM. In this interpretation, the damage by cracking must occur first, as has been demonstrated in rolling-contact experiments on bearing steels.…”