DoctorKnow® Application Paper

Title: Failure Modes of Rolling Element Bearings

Source/Author:Todd Reeves
Product: General
Technology: Vibration
Classification:

Failure Modes of Rolling Element Bearings

Todd Reeves
CSI
Knoxville, TN

Abstract

Rolling Element bearings have four primary defect sites that can lead to the eventual failure of the bearing.
These defect sites include the outer race, the inner race, the rolling elements, and the cage. Bearing
failure can be predicted by measuring vibration data and monitoring the presence of the defect
frequencies and harmonics of these frequencies. Failure can not be based on amplitude alone. The
frequency content of the spectral data and the pattern in the waveform data often proves more important
to the prediction of the failed bearing than does vibration amplitude.

Introduction

Rolling element bearings have specific bearing failure modes that can be observed in the spectral and the
waveform data. Bearing frequencies are different from some other vibration frequencies that can be
present in a frequency spectrum in that bearing frequencies are truly defect frequencies. These
frequencies will not appear unless the bearings are actually defective. Each failure mode centers around a
particular defect site and consists of defect frequencies that appear because of defects in the bearing
components.

The four primary rolling element defect frequencies are related to defects on the inner race, the outer race,
the balls or rollers, and the cage ( or train ). The inner race defect frequency is referred to as the Ball Pass
Frequency Inner Race (BPFI), the outer race defect frequency is referred to as the Ball Pass Frequency
Outer Race (BPFO), the ball defect frequency is referred to as the Ball Spin Frequency (BSF), and the
defects on the cage is referred to as the Fundamental Train Frequency (FTF) .
Calculation of Fundamental Rolling Element Bearing Defect Frequencies

Case I - Inner race is rotating and outer race is stationary (most common industrial application).

where:

RPM = revolutions per minute

S = speed, revolutions per second
FTF = fundamental train (cage) frequency
BPFI = ball pass frequency of the inner race
BPFO = ball pass frequency of the outer race
BSF = ball spin frequency
Bd = ball or roller diameter
Nb = number of balls or rollers
Pd = pitch diameter
θ = contact angle
Case II - Inner race is stationary and outer race is rotating (e.g., front wheels of some cars).

where:

RPM = revolutions per minute

S = speed, revolutions per second
FTF = fundamental train (cage) frequency
BPFI = ball pass frequency of the inner race
BPFO = ball pass frequency of the outer race
BSF = ball spin frequency
Bd = ball or roller diameter
Nb = number of balls or rollers
Pd = pitch diameter
θ = contact angle
There are also two other relationships that are important:

1. The sum of the BPFO and the BPFI is equal to the number of rolling elements multiplied by the shaft
turning speed.
BPFO + BPFI = # balls * TS

2. The FTF is equal to the BPFO divided by the number of rolling elements.
FTF = BPF0/# balls

Obviously, each different bearing type will have different bearing defect frequencies. The frequencies will
depend on the bearing geometry. These frequencies should not appear in the spectral and waveform data
unless a defect actually exists. The amplitudes of the defect frequencies will depend on the severity of the
defect and the failure mode of the bearing.

Vibration Data

Measuring the spectral data can detect the presence of these defect frequencies. Not only are the primary
defect frequencies of interest when diagnosing bearing failures, but also the harmonics of the frequencies.
The maximum analysis frequency (Fmax) during data collection should be high enough to capture the
higher frequency harmonics. An Fmax set at or above a frequency equal to the BPFI multiplied by the
number of rolling elements will allow all of the bearing defect frequencies to be captured. It is the detection
of the higher frequency harmonics of the BPFI and the BPFO defect frequencies that often appear during
the first failure stages of bearing failure. The initial detection of these defect frequencies will allow an
analyst to track the bearing defect.
Each of the four primary bearing defects can be considered to be a particular mode of failure.
The time waveform should not be neglected when analyzing Rolling element bearing defects. The
amplitude patterns of the waveform assist the analyst in confirming the presence of some bearing defects.
The time waveform will show an impact and ring down pattern as the rolling elements pass a defect site
and excite bearing resonances.
Assessment of Amplitude

It is very helpful to know what type of bearings are present in the machines in order to more accurately
identify the bearing fault frequencies displayed in the data. However, once the defects are identified it is
not always possible to only trend the amplitude change over time. Some bearings may fail when no defect
frequency exceeds 0.07 IPS while others may continue to run at amplitudes of 0.25 IPS or more.

One reason for measured amplitude variations is the transmission path of the vibration energy. Amplitudes
for the same defect severity will be typically be lower if the sensor is located several feet away from the
bearing than if the sensor is mounted a few inches away from the bearing. Also, inner race defects may
appear at lower amplitudes than outer race defects due to the different transmission path. Inner race
defect vibration must pass through the rolling elements and the outer race before being transmitted
through the machine to the sensor. Also, the defect amplitude will fluctuate as the defect moves in and out
of the load zone.

Another reason that amplitudes alone can not be relied upon to provide defect severity is because of the
differences in the mass, stiffness and damping properties of each machine. Even machines that are side
by side and of the same basic design could have slightly different system properties that could effect the
measured amplitudes of similar sized bearing defects on each machine.

For example, the amplitudes of the lower frequencies are effected primarily by the mass of the machine.
As frequencies increase, the mass of the machine has a smaller effect on the vibration and the stiffness of
the machine begins to have a controlling effect on the vibration amplitude. Therefore, at the lower
frequencies closer to turning speed, Sir Isaac Newton's second law will be more applicable. This law
states that a force is equal to it's mass multiplied by the acceleration experienced by the mass. The
equation is written:
F=MxA

For vibration analysis we can use this equation in a slightly different form to better understand one of the
reasons bearings fail at different amplitudes for different machines. This equation can be rearranged:
F/M = A

Examining this equation, assume that the same force is experienced by two different machines. Machine
"B" is 10 times the mass of Machine "A" If the equation is rewritten:
MA x AA = F A,B = MB x AB

since MB = 10 MA, the equation can be rewritten:

MA x AA = 10MA x AB
(MA x AA)/10MA = AB

(1/10)AA = AB
The acceleration level for Machine "B "will be one-tenth the acceleration of Machine "A" if all other factors,
including the force are held constant. This makes it more obvious that for a constant force, as the mass
increases the acceleration value will decrease.

The life of the bearing is inversely proportional to the load cubed and the shaft turning speed based on the
following equation:
H = (C3/L3) x (16667/RPM)

Where,

H = life in hours
C = bearing capacity in pounds
L = bearing load in pounds
RPM = shaft turning speed

An increase in the vibration levels will increase the effective load which will therefore decrease the life of
the bearing. Increasing the speed has the effect of decreasing the bearing life. The increased shaft speed
will raise the bearing defect frequencies which will result in higher vibration amplitudes as the acceleration
levels are amplified at the higher frequencies. This will result in higher forces experienced by the bearing
since the force is related to the mass and acceleration as discussed previously. Slower shaft speeds will
have the opposite effect on bearing life. The faults will develop over longer periods of time at lower
amplitudes.

This is why vibration alarm levels that are adequate for some machines do not work well for other
machines. Also, this is the reason why some machines will fail at low amplitude defects and other
machines will tolerate higher amplitude defect related vibration for the same level of defect severity.

Assessment of Pattern

The pattern of the bearing defect frequencies is really the key in determining the defect severity for each
bearing failure mode. The number of bearing related harmonic frequencies that are present, possible
sidebands, and time waveform data can be a much more reliable method of projecting needed bearing
repairs than amplitude alone.

Viewing time waveform data in units of acceleration can be very helpful when diagnosing bearing defects.
Inner and outer race defects will typically show repeatable patterns of impacting and ring down as the
rolling elements are passing over the race defect.

The acceleration amplitude in the time waveform is also a valuable tool to use when diagnosing bearing
severity. The acceleration amplitude is directly proportional to the forces that are affecting the bearing
vibration. Remember, F = M * A. However, also remember that the mass of the machine will effect the
amplitude variations from machine to machine. Usually time waveform acceleration levels in excess of 2
g's peak to peak is significant enough to warrant attention by the analyst.

Although vibration amplitude is helpful in determining defect severity, The pattern of frequencies present in
the spectral data is often more indicative of progressive bearing damage than changes in spectral
amplitude alone. Now the discussion that follows is the classic failure progression that applies to about
80% of all bearings. So certainly be aware that other defect scenarios do exist. However, the basic idea
that amplitude alone can not always be used to correctly identify bearings ready for replacement is still
true.

Failure Progression Pattern

The typical classical bearing failure progression pattern for most bearing race defects can be described as
follows:

Mode 1

The first signs of a defective bearing will appear in the spectral data typically at the higher frequency
multiples of the fundamental bearing defect frequencies. One of the reasons that these high frequencies
show up first is that the impacting of the rolling elements though the defect site creates high frequency
broadband noise that excites the high frequency natural bearing resonances. The fundamental
frequencies do not tend to show up at this point.

Mode 2

More harmonics of the defect frequency appear in the spectral data. Continuing degradation will often
mean modulation of the defect frequencies by the shaft turning speed. The amplitude of the sidebands
relative to the defect frequency harmonics is very important at this point. Sideband amplitudes that exceed
the defect frequency harmonic amplitude can indicate significant damage. Please note that as the
bearings degrade the actual defect frequencies are not going to match exactly with the pre-calculated
defect frequencies. This is because degradation of the bearing has caused the internal bearing geometry
to deviate from the original design.
Mode 3

This can be identified by the presence of the fundamental bearing defect frequency appearing in the
spectral data in addition to the defect harmonics and sideband frequencies. Also, sideband frequencies
may also be present that are related to the BSF and the FTF frequencies. The BSF and the FTF most
often appear as sidebands of the BPFI or the BPFO. This is usually found in the later stages of bearing
degradation as the rolling elements and the train have become damaged from constant contact and
contamination by material breaking loose from the defective raceways. The remaining bearing life has
certainly been limited at this point depending on the shaft speed and the bearing load.
Mode 4

As the bearing continues to degrade the internal clearances may begin to increase which will accelerate
the deterioration of the bearing components. This allows more impacting to occur within the bearing which
will increase the broadband noise. The increased impacting will appear in the spectral data as a raised
noise floor. The peaks in the data may seem to decrease in amplitude and become less distinct as the
noise floor increases.
Failure is eminent at this point. Less than 2% of the bearing's life remains. If a crack develops in the inner
or outer race, the internal clearances may decrease. This could lead to a seizure of the bearing. Steps to
schedule to bearing's replacement should have been taken care of by this time. These steps may include
ordering a new bearing and scheduling a suitable repair time.

It is important to understand that each bearing may progress through the failure modes at different rates.
When a bearing defect mode is detected, data should be collected more often so all the modes are
captured in the database. Every bearing failure will be somewhat different. Often an analyst will fail to
capture some of the failure modes because they will occur between data collection intervals. Some
bearings will not even follow the classical failure progression. Case History 1 and 2 show inner race
defects at various points along the failure progression. Case History 3 shows an outer race defect that
does not follow the previously discussed failure progression pattern.

Case History 1

The data collected for this bearing allowed the analyst to see modes 1, 3 and 4.
Case History 2

Bearing defect progresses through modes 1,2 and 3. The bearing was pulled before and significant
broadbanding had occurred.
Case History 3

This bearing failure did not follow the classical failure progression pattern. The collected data showed the
1xBPFO defect frequency from the beginning and no sidebanding was present. The absence of sidebands
is common with outer race defects.
Summary

Relying on amplitude alone is a difficult way to predict bearing failure. Often the bearing defects
frequencies will not increase in amplitude as much as the content of the spectrum will change including
more of the defect frequencies.

Provided data is collected correctly to a suitable maximum frequency range, observing the failure
progression pattern is a much more reliable method for recommending bearing replacement than trying to
rely on amplitude alone. Using the analysis techniques discussed here can provide a vibration analyst with
a better guide for determining when to replace the defective bearings.

References
1. CSI Training Department, "Single Channel Analysis I," Training Manual, Computational
Systems, Incorporated, Knoxville, TN, 1993.
2. CSI Training Department, "Single Channel Analysis II," Training Manual, Computational
Systems, Incorporated, Knoxville, TN, 1992.
3. CSI Training Department, "Rolling Element Bearing Analysis-Severity Determination," Training
Video, Computational Systems, Incorporated, Knoxville, TN, 1993.
4. CSI Training Department, "Rolling Element Bearing Analysis-Defect Detection," Training Video,
Computational Systems, Incorporated, Knoxville, TN, 1993.
5. Schiltz, Richard L., "Forcing Frequency Identification of Rolling Element Bearings," Sound and
Vibration, Volume 24, No.5, May, 1990
6. Berry, James E., "How to Track Rolling Element Bearing Health with Vibration Signature
Analysis," Sound and Vibration, Volume 25, No. 11, November, 1991.
7. Crawford, Art R., The Simplified Handbook of Vibration Analysis, Volume 1: Introduction to
Vibration Analysis Fundamentals, Computational Systems, Inc., Knoxville, TN, 1992.
8. Crawford, Art R., The Simplified Handbook of Vibration Analysis, Volume 2: Applied Vibration
Analysis,Computational Systems, Inc., Knoxville, TN, 1992.

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