It is impossible for a rolling bearing to run indefinitely. During the operation, the bearing will be damaged due to various reasons. Such as improper installation, poor lubrication, intrusion of moisture and dust, rust, electric corrosion, etc. can cause premature damage to the bearing. In the case of normal installation, lubrication and maintenance, after a certain period of operation, fatigue peeling and wear will also occur, so that the bearing cannot work normally. The main damage forms of rolling bearings are as follows: 1. Fatigue peeling In rolling bearings, the contact surface (raceway or rolling body surface) that bears load and moves relatively, due to repeated load, first forms cracks at a certain depth under the surface and at a weaker part. Then it develops to the contact surface, causing the surface metal to peel off in flakes, causing the bearing to fail to work normally. This phenomenon is called fatigue spalling. The final fatigue spalling of rolling bearings is inevitable. In fact, under the condition of normal installation, lubrication and sealing, the damage of most bearings is fatigue damage. Therefore, the general term bearing life refers to the fatigue life of the bearing. 2. Plastic deformation (permanent deformation) After the rolling bearing is under load, plastic deformation occurs at the contact point between the rolling element and the raceway. When the load is too heavy, plastic deformation pits will be formed on the surface of the raceway, which will cause severe vibration and noise during the operation of the bearing. Foreign hard particles enter the bearing and can also form indentations on the contact surface. In addition, excessive shock loads, or when the bearing is stationary, due to factors such as machine vibrations, can cause dimples to form at the contact. The allowable permanent deformation in the bearing can be defined to determine the static load carrying capacity of the bearing. 3. Wear and tear Due to the relative movement of the rolling element and the raceway and the intrusion of dirt and dust, the surface of the rolling element and the raceway is worn. When the amount of wear is large, the bearing clearance, noise, and vibration will increase, and the running accuracy of the bearing will be reduced, thus directly affecting the accuracy of some host machines. Therefore, for some bearings used in precision machinery, the amount of wear can be used to limit the life of the bearing. The above three forms of damage are the common main forms of damage. There are many other forms of damage, such as ring fracture, rolling element crushing, fracture of cage wear, electric corrosion and rust caused by current passing. However, the appearance of these forms of damage is accidental and related to many factors. These forms of damage are avoidable with proper installation, lubrication, and maintenance. The three main forms of damage to rolling bearings can be prevented through the following methods: fatigue damage can be limited by the rated dynamic load; plastic deformation can be limited by the rated static load; wear can be determined by the size of the limited amount of wear.  

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