New strategy for testing new high nitrogen bearing steel for offshore wind turbines

This article presents some results obtained during the first stage of the European Union project titled “STEELWIND,” a part of which has been dedicated to roller–race contact dynamics. Contact has been modeled qualitatively using viscous-elastic friction, in the sliding regions, and hysteresis-modified Hertzian pressure in the whole contact zone. Slip and stick areas are detected within the contact area where the sliding velocity may have both opposite directions parallel to the entraining velocity. Considering the complexity of the hybrid rolling–sliding–sticking conditions, the developed model, although simplified, can be helpful to develop a sliding–rolling test by means of a standard reciprocator stand, where nonsymmetrical and mobile configurations of the testing race samples are introduced.