Bearing damage? We find the cause!
Damage analysis in our quality laboratory
Unexplained rolling bearing damage increases the risk of repeated failures – and thus unplanned downtime and avoidable consequential costs.
In the in-house quality laboratory of Findling Wälzlager GmbH, our experts analyze your damage case quickly, precisely, and independently of the manufacturer. With modern measurement methods, a structured approach, and over 100 years of experience in rolling bearing technology, you receive a well-founded diagnosis as well as concrete recommendations for action to permanently eliminate the cause.
Describe your case to us – we will get back to you promptly.
In four steps to problem solving
Step 1: Contact
Briefly describe your damage case to us via the inquiry form or directly by phone or email. The more precise the information about operating conditions, duration, and damage pattern, the more targeted we can prepare the analysis.
Step 2: Send in the bearing
Send us the affected rolling bearing in its current condition if possible. Important: The bearing should not be cleaned or further disassembled in advance to preserve all relevant damage traces.
Step 3: Laboratory analysis by our experts
In our quality laboratory, our experts systematically and independently of the manufacturer examine the rolling bearing. Damage characteristics are documented, possible causes are narrowed down, and further tests are conducted if necessary.
Step 4: Damage report with recommendation
You will receive a comprehensible damage report with the analysis results and specific recommendations for action. This way, you can specifically address the cause and prevent further failures.
Findling Bearings offers damage analysis as an independent partner
Damage analysis on rolling bearings: Added value for operational safety
Rolling bearings are standardized components – yet in their installed state, they are function-critical machine elements. If the bearing technology fails, it usually leads to the shutdown of entire production facilities. To prevent this from happening in the first place, the selection of application-specific, highly available rolling bearings is particularly important. However, if ball bearing defects have already occurred, it is essential to quickly investigate the causes and eliminate them permanently. With over 100 years of experience in thousands of applications, Findling Wälzlager GmbH has the necessary experience and know-how to optimally support those affected.
Damage Analysis – How Does It Actually Work?
A damage diagnosis in the field of rolling bearings essentially means conducting a root cause analysis based on the damage characteristics of the affected products. Findling Wälzlager GmbH has defined specific processes for this, which are worked through step by step using checklists. It always begins with the visual assessment of the ball bearing defect and the precise, including photographic, documentation of the construction, essentially the connecting parts, up to the theoretical, constructive setup. From this, initial indications can be determined through an FMEA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis). Subsequently, if necessary, the experts take a grease sample and carefully disassemble the affected rolling bearings. For each individual damaged rolling bearing, the damage characteristics are then documented using another checklist – these include, for example, flaking, scoring, fractures, cracks, cage damage, or fretting corrosion.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Damage analysis – how does it actually work](/fileadmin/Inhalt/Bilder/Technik/Findling_Prozessdiagramm.png "[Translate to Englisch:] Damage analysis – how does that work anyway")
![[Translate to Englisch:] Detect and Repair Rolling Bearing Damage](/fileadmin/_processed_/b/f/csm_Schaden_Ausschnitt_4c56172be7.jpg "[Translate to Englisch:] Detect and repair rolling bearing damage.")
Root Cause Analysis
Rolling bearing damage can have a wide variety of reasons and is not necessarily caused by a faulty original product. However, most companies are overwhelmed with a detailed damage analysis – it's good that the experts at Findling Wälzlager can help here: Damage analysis is part of the service portfolio. Findling Wälzlager acts as an independent partner that investigates the causes of ball bearing defects and helps in solving the problems. The responsibility for damage analysis lies in the application engineering department. This ensures that the experts provide a holistic approach to root cause analysis. An in-house, modernly equipped quality laboratory enables professional measurement capabilities and highly accurate tests.
from our glossary:
further damage images:
- Flaking: When small parts of the rolling bearing material chip off from the surface of the raceway or rolling element due to material fatigue.
- Frosting: Matte/cloudy spots form on the surface, from which tiny cracks develop.
- Scoring: These occur due to sliding friction caused by improper lubrication or difficult operating conditions. They appear as small scuff marks on the surface.
- Smearing: These are characterized by numerous scuff marks on the surface and usually occur due to sliding or a broken lubricant film.
- Fractures: Excessive loads or strong impacts can lead to fractures.
- Cracks: The progression of fine cracks can lead to the formation of cracks. Causes can include excessive loads, a very tight fit, local overheating, and progressive flaking.
- Cage damage: Typical cage damages are deformation and breakage of the cage as well as wear of the cage pockets.
- Indentations: When foreign objects come into the contact area, indentations occur. Indentations also occur due to impacts and static loads, but in the rolling element spacing.
- Pitting: Pitting are small pits that make the surface appear matte and rough.
- Wear: The entirety of surface damage on the raceways, rolling elements, ribs, roller end faces, and cage pockets, mostly caused by sliding friction.
- Fretting corrosion: Wear phenomena triggered by micro-movements between rings of the rolling bearing and the fitting surface on the shaft or housing.
- Standstill marks: These are characterized by hollow-like spots and occur due to vibrations in the rolling contact, mostly in the rolling element spacing.
- Creeping of bearing rings: This can only occur on rings of a rolling bearing. There is relative slip between the fitting surfaces, resulting in play between the surfaces. Creeping results in shiny surfaces.
- Seizing: Due to sudden overheating, the rings and rolling elements expand, press against each other, and thus block the rolling bearing.
- Electrical corrosion: When electrical current flows through a rolling bearing, it leads to arcing and burns. Ripples form due to local melting.
- Rust and corrosion: Both cause red or black-colored pits on the surfaces of the bearing rings and rolling elements.
- Discoloration: Discolorations in rolling bearings occur due to high temperatures and reaction with the lubricant.
Constructive and tribological damage diagnosis
The characteristics documented in this manner are subsequently assessed. Findling Wälzlager makes a distinction between two service areas: The structural damage analysis examines whether the roller bearing position was incorrectly designed. It is often supported by numerical calculations using special software. The experts are able to accurately illustrate the bearing position, calculate the service life, and simulate design changes. By contrast, the tribological assessment deals with roller bearing damage caused by increased friction, wear, and defective lubricants. Unsuitable, old or sparsely used lubricants are the most frequent causes of damage.
Damage analysis application example
A practical example from 2015 shows how important professional expertise in application technology is: A company specialized in power transmission engineering purchased deep-groove ball bearings from a brand-name manufacturer. During the endurance test of the preproduction series at the end customer’s location, roller bearing damage already occurred in two cases after about 5,000 operating hours. The company commissioned Findling Wälzlager with the task of performing a damage appraisal, including suggestions for improvement. The result of the investigation and detailed grease analysis: In this case, the wrong fit was selected, and the lubricant was contaminated for design reasons. It was possible to successfully conclude the test once these defects were eliminated.
Application example for damage analysis and product development
Cage fracturing – this was the diagnosis given by the damage analysis, which Findling Wälzlager carried out on behalf of a renowned robot manufacturer. The background: Despite extremely high acceleration, deep-groove ball bearings with standard cages made of steel sheet, which consisted of two halves riveted together, were installed in the robots. This is totally sufficient for most applications. However, the more extreme the operating conditions are, the more the individual components of a roller bearing have to be adapted to these operating conditions. In this case, the cage and rivets had a more robust and solid design, which permanently solved the problems during operation.
