About this Research Topic

Background

Saving resources and reducing CO2 emissions are urgent challenges of our time. This demand is continuously increasing and great potential has been seen in the area of machines that perform rotational movements. However, the changeover to larger wind turbines or the use of e-motive poses new challenges in terms of fatigue and durability of bearing materials. In order to overcome these challenges, innovation in the field of rolling bearings needs to take the step from research to industrialization. For this purpose, we would like to give an overview of the application of innovative processes which are available or in development, in order to significantly improve rolling bearings.

In recent years, a large body of research has focused on the optimization of rolling bearings through the use of novel manufacturing processes. For example, bearing service life can be significantly increased by means of deep rolling processes. On the one hand, hardening was combined with hard turning, but the effect of induced residual stresses and improved surface roughness was also considered. New manufacturing processes such as Tailored Forming can also save valuable raw materials and reduce the weight of bearings. Surface modifications to bearing surfaces can also serve to reduce frictional losses. Surface coatings on rolling bearings can be used to ensure that failure of conventional lubricants during operation does not lead to damage to the bearing surfaces, and the introduction of sensors can lead to better monitoring of bearing conditions. These developments will be considered and made available to a wider community.

The present collection welcomes research papers that focus on Optimized Bearing Surfaces and, in particular, on:

• Surface modifications
o Textured surfaces (Laser / Fly Cutting / Other)
o Deep rolling
o Shock Peening / Peening Processes

• CVD/PVD Processes
o Protective coatings (against WEC...)
o Emergency running features
o Sensor integration

• Forging processes
o Tailored Forming (tailored properties of machine elements with enhanced bearing raceways)
o Residual stresses induced by forming processes

Topic Editors Oliver Maiß and Jan Torben Terwey are currently employed by the companies ECOROLL AG and thyssenkrupp rothe erde Germany GmbH respectively. The remaining Topic Editors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Keywords: Rolling Bearing, Surface Modifications, Tailored Forming, Forging Processes, Bearing Fatigue, Resource Efficiency

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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