Reversing Normal Strains Produced by Rolling Contact Load

Abstract

Attempts have been made to correlate some characteristic of the stress field produced by rolling contact loads with the location of the origin of the rolling contact fatigue failure process. Analysis of the stress field of a cylinder and torus under contact load reveals the existence of a reversing normal strain in certain directions at points in the material. Research work indicates this condition to be a requirement for large plastic deformations in high cycle fatigue. Similarities of conditions for fatigue in reversed bending, torsional yield processes, and reversed cyclic deformation in torsion suggest the significance of the reversing normal strain in rolling contact stress fields.