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Failure Analysis of Roller Cone Bit Bearing Based on Mechanics and Microstructure

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Abstract

The service life of the roller cone bit mainly depends on the bearing. In order to figure out the cause and mechanism of bearing failure, mechanics and microstructure analysis of failed roller cone bit bearings are carried out. The results show that the bearing failure mainly includes wear (including adhesive wear and abrasive wear), plastic deformation, crack, fracture and burn. The main reasons for these failures are: abrasives and temperature rise caused by the cuttings and the lubrication failure; stress concentration, shock and vibration due to uneven load and fit clearance; and initial cracks or deficiencies because of unqualified surface treatment. In addition, investigation indicates that seal failure can bring degeneration on the bearing surface, which reduces the hardness of the bearing surface and thus accelerates the failure of the bearing.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their gratitude for the financial support by the project of Jiangxi Feilong Rock Bit Manufacture Co., Ltd., Research on Prolonging the Life of Roller Cone Bit Bearing.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechatronic Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, 610500, China

    Zhiqiang Huang & Gang Li

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  1. Zhiqiang Huang
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  2. Gang Li
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Correspondence to Gang Li.

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Huang, Z., Li, G. Failure Analysis of Roller Cone Bit Bearing Based on Mechanics and Microstructure. J Fail. Anal. and Preven. 18, 342–349 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-018-0419-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11668-018-0419-3

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