LOCATION OF AN ACOUSTIC-EMISSION SOURCE IN A RADIALLY LOADED DEEP GROOVE BALL-BEARING

This paper describes a deep groove ball-bearing analysis which has bee n developed to simulate acoustic emission occurring during ball-bearin g operation. The computer simulation is useful to clarify experimental research on rolling contact fatigue initiation using the acoustic emi ssion technique. Results show the ability of the method to detect and to locate a subsurface defect, due to rolling contact fatigue, before the rolling bearing failure occurs. The subsurface defect can be accur ately located within the inner ring of a deep groove ball-bearing oper ating under radial load.