Bearing Failures and Solutions

The bearing is generally usable up to the end of the rolling fatigue life if handled properly. If it fails earlier, it may be due to some fault in the selection, handling, lubrication, and/or mounting of the bearing.

It is sometimes difficult to determine the real cause of bearing failure because many interrelated factors are possible. It is, however, possible to prevent the recurrence of similar problems by considering possible causes according to the situation and condition of the machine on which the bearings failed. Also, installation location, operating conditions, and surrounding structure of the bearings should be taken into consideration.

Bearing failures are classified and illustrated in photos in this section. Use this section as a guide for troubleshooting.

The following is the photoes and descriptions of bearing failures.

Flaking	Peeling	Spalling	Smearing
Wear	Speckles and Discoloration	Indentations	Chipping
Cracking	Rust and Corrosion	Seizing	Fretting and Fretting Corrosion
Electrical Pitting	Rolling Path Skewing	Damage to Reteiners	Creeping