Influence of Retained austenite on Dimensional Characteristics of Bearings Components

Abstract Rolling bearings are key components. It is essential that the bearings are highly durable and reliable in order to ultimately contribute to the continuous operation of the machinery. Bearings are required to have a high service life regardless of the conditions to which they are exposed. The presented work is focused on the heat treatment of bearing rings and their investigation in terms of retained austenite and its influence on the geometric characteristics of bearing components. In order for bearings to be more reliable and more resistant to damage, their microstructure must be adapted to the conditions of use in the area. Decay of retained austenite, heat treatment, these factors affect the integrity of the surface, which is also the main goal of this research. The present article deals with the influence of retained austenite on the dimensional stability of bearing rings with 100Cr6 material, surface microgeometry, which have been exposed to different temperature changes (-40 ° C and 150 ° C) over a period of time. The information obtained from the experiments will help to increase the reliability of bearings that can be exposed to various extreme conditions during their service life.