Million Mile Bearings: Lessons From Diesel Engine Bearing Failure Analysis

Bearing capability of one million miles has been demonstrated in line-haul truck operations with Cummins, Detroit Diesel, Caterpillar and Mack Truck engines. Bearing failure analysis helped to define the requirements for long service bearings, in terms of the appropriate oil and bearing quality, and proper maintenance practice. Surface science instrumentation was used for failure analysis, since visual observations alone cannot provide a definitive answer. This paper should help prevent bearing failures in the future and enable others to identify the failure mode correctly and quickly.