In general, if rolling bearings are used correctly, they will survive to their predicted fatigue life. Bearings, however, often fail prematurely due to avoidable mistakes. In contrast to fatigue life, this premature failure is caused by improper mounting, mishandling, poor lubrication, entry of foreign matter or abnormal heat generation.
For example, one cause of premature failure is rib scoring which is due to insufficient lubrication, use of improper lubricant, faulty lubrication system, entry of foreign matter, bearing mounting error, excessive deflection of the shaft or some combination of these.
If all conditions are known for the times both before and after the failure, including the application, the operating conditions, and environment, then a countermeasure can be determined by studying the nature of the failure and its probable causes. A successful countermeasure will reduce similar failures or prevent them from happening again.
