The study of surface defects in the raceways of instrument bearings by the optoelectronic method

The study examines the formation of surface defects on raceways of instrument bearings during profile grinding using various types of cutting fluids (coolants). It has been established that the wear of bearing working surfaces significantly depends on the presence and nature of defects arising from mechanical interaction between the abrasive tool and the workpiece surface, as well as the effectiveness of coolant purification from abrasive particles and grinding by-products. In this paper, we propose an original technique for detecting and evaluating surface defects using a specialized optoelectronic system, enabling quantitative and qualitative assessment of the surface microrelief. During the study, characteristic features of surface defects appearing on the raceways of bearing rings were identified, and the most critical among them, significantly affecting the operational characteristics and service life of bearings, were determined.