The BeNeLux failure analysis group in Liege, all members of FAS, recently attended a technical meeting where they presented a discussion of rolling contact fatigue in gears to about 14 engineers and academics from across Belgium and Luxemburg.
Called a Short Technical Information Session, the meeting was sponsored by CMI de Malzine, a gear manufacturing company, and was held at its plant. CMI stands for “Cockerill Maintenance & Ingénierie,” an engineering company formed in Belgium during the industrial revolution by John Cockerill. Today the company employs more than 4680 people around the world, in a range of industries such as energy, industrial equipment, and boilers.
The speakers focused on two gear failures involving rolling contact fatigue and contaminants in the gear materials. The photo shows the premature pitting of gear teeth in a case-hardened gear, one of the topics of discussion.
Constructive exchanges of ideas by the audience and speakers followed the presentation. These were related to the various ways the failures should be analyzed, tools that could be used for getting results, and methods for finding the most probable root causes. Precautions that should be taken during the heat treatment of gears were also discussed.
The group displayed relevant ASM Handbooks, such as Volume 11 – Failure Analysis & Prevention; Volume 19 – Fatigue & Fracture; the Alban Technical Book, Systematic Analysis of Gear Failures; and the Davis book, Gear Materials, Properties and Manufacture. All are available online by visiting the FAS web page.
The BeNeLux failure analysis group plans to present such discussions at two or three more Short Techncial Information Sessions this year, inviting both engineers and academics.
The group is coordinated by Prof. Dr. Ir. Fabienne Delaunos, Dr. Ir. Véronique Vitry (UMons, Faculté polytechnique de Mons), and Pierre DuPont (Schaeffler Belgium Sprl/Bvba, FAS Vice-Chair).
If you would like to take part in the next BeNeLux meeting, send an email to Pierre Dupont ([email protected]. Consult our website for the latest information.
