THE QUALITY OF MATERIALS APPLIED FOR SLEWING BEARING RACEWAY – TECHNICAL PAPER

Selected slewing bearings and their application have been described in this article. Basic causes of the damage pitch surfaces of slewing bearings have been analyzed and examples of the damage have been presented as well. Special attention was paid to these kinds of damage which appeared most often in the case of the pitch surfaces of the bearings and those ones which very often cause premature exchange of the bearing and its scrapping. On the basis of the conducted studies it was stated that the main cause of the damage to the pitch surfaces of the bearings is the excessive load of rolling elements. Based on the results of the conducted analysis, actions limiting the occurrence of the damage to the pitch surfaces of the bearings, which lead to their premature exchange, have been proposed. One of the suggested actions, limiting the premature exchange of bearings, is the necessity of exceptionally thorough design and selection of the slewing bearings, including the conditions of their foundation.