Polarity-Dependent EDM-Type Degradation in Rolling Bearings Under Low-Speed Unipolar Excitation.

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Title: Polarity-Dependent EDM-Type Degradation in Rolling Bearings Under Low-Speed Unipolar Excitation.
Authors: Li, Zifan1 (AUTHOR), Cai, Ran1 (AUTHOR), Zhang, Tianyi1 (AUTHOR), Nie, Xueyuan1 (AUTHOR) xnie@uwindsor.ca
Source: Materials (1996-1944). Jun2026, Vol. 19 Issue 11, p2248. 14p.
Subjects: Direct currents, Stray currents, Material erosion, Electric motors, Electric metal-cutting, Roller bearings
Abstract: Bearings in electric motors are exposed to stray currents and shaft voltages, which can accelerate surface damage and reduce service life. This study examines how pulsed direct current (DC) direction affects early-stage degradation in rolling bearings under low-speed operation. A dedicated test rig was used in which the bearing inner and outer rings were connected directly to the positive and negative terminals of a pulsed DC power supply. Unipolar excitation was applied at 20 kHz with a nominal current of 3 A and shaft-voltage peaks of about 3 V for 3 h, with current flowing in only one direction during each test. After testing, the bearings were sectioned and examined by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that when current flowed from the outer ring to the inner ring, visible electrical discharge machining (EDM)-type damage was mainly found on the outer raceway. When the current direction was reversed, the damaged region shifted to the inner raceway. The affected areas showed crater-like discharge features and surface chemical changes, while the opposite raceway showed much less change under the same test conditions. These observations indicate that current direction influences where EDM-type damage more likely forms in the bearing under the present low-speed unipolar excitation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Materials (1996-1944) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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An: 194587159
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  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Polarity-Dependent EDM-Type Degradation in Rolling Bearings Under Low-Speed Unipolar Excitation.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Zifan%22">Li, Zifan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Cai%2C+Ran%22">Cai, Ran</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhang%2C+Tianyi%22">Zhang, Tianyi</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nie%2C+Xueyuan%22">Nie, Xueyuan</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> xnie@uwindsor.ca</i>
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Materials+%281996-1944%29%22">Materials (1996-1944)</searchLink>. Jun2026, Vol. 19 Issue 11, p2248. 14p.
– Name: Subject
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Direct+currents%22">Direct currents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Stray+currents%22">Stray currents</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Material+erosion%22">Material erosion</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electric+motors%22">Electric motors</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Electric+metal-cutting%22">Electric metal-cutting</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Roller+bearings%22">Roller bearings</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Bearings in electric motors are exposed to stray currents and shaft voltages, which can accelerate surface damage and reduce service life. This study examines how pulsed direct current (DC) direction affects early-stage degradation in rolling bearings under low-speed operation. A dedicated test rig was used in which the bearing inner and outer rings were connected directly to the positive and negative terminals of a pulsed DC power supply. Unipolar excitation was applied at 20 kHz with a nominal current of 3 A and shaft-voltage peaks of about 3 V for 3 h, with current flowing in only one direction during each test. After testing, the bearings were sectioned and examined by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results showed that when current flowed from the outer ring to the inner ring, visible electrical discharge machining (EDM)-type damage was mainly found on the outer raceway. When the current direction was reversed, the damaged region shifted to the inner raceway. The affected areas showed crater-like discharge features and surface chemical changes, while the opposite raceway showed much less change under the same test conditions. These observations indicate that current direction influences where EDM-type damage more likely forms in the bearing under the present low-speed unipolar excitation conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Materials (1996-1944) is the property of MDPI and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.3390/ma19112248
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 14
        StartPage: 2248
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Direct currents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Stray currents
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Material erosion
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electric motors
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Electric metal-cutting
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Roller bearings
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Polarity-Dependent EDM-Type Degradation in Rolling Bearings Under Low-Speed Unipolar Excitation.
        Type: main
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          Name:
            NameFull: Li, Zifan
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            NameFull: Cai, Ran
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Zhang, Tianyi
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            NameFull: Nie, Xueyuan
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            – D: 01
              M: 06
              Text: Jun2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
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            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 19961944
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              Value: 19
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              Value: 11
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            – TitleFull: Materials (1996-1944)
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