Sub-surface crack networks in areas of altered microstructure are a common cause for bearing failures. Due to its appearance under light microscopy, the damage pattern is referred to as White Etching Cracks (WEC). The root causes leading to the formation of WEC are still under debate. Nevertheless, it has already been shown that atomic hydrogen can have an accelerating effect on the formation and propagation of WEC. In addition to hydrogen pre-charging, hydrogen can be released and absorbed during rolling/sliding due to the decomposing of the lubricant and water. The current work focuses on the analysis of the hydrogen content of cylindrical roller thrust bearings after testing in a FE8 type test rig using two different lubricants. Within the framework of this work, two different hydrogen analysis methods were used and assessed regarding their applicability. The results show that the so-called Hydrogen Collecting Analysis (HCA) is more suitable to investigate the correlation between lubricant chemistry and hydrogen content in the test bearings than the Local Hydrogen Analysis (LHA). The measurements with the HCA show a continuously increasing freely movable and diffusible hydrogen content under tribological conditions, which leads to the formation of WEC. Comparative tests with an oil without hydrogen showed that the tendency of the system to fail as a result of WEC can be reduced by using a lubricant without hydride compounds.

微观结构改变的区域中的次表面裂纹网络是造成轴承故障的常见原因。由于其在光学显微镜下的外观，损坏方式被称为白色蚀刻裂纹（WEC）。导致WEC形成的根本原因仍在争论中。然而，已经显示出原子氢可以对WEC的形成和传播具有加速作用。除了预充氢之外，由于润滑剂和水的分解，在轧制/滑动过程中还可以释放和吸收氢。目前的工作重点是在FE8型试验台上使用两种不同的润滑剂进行测试后，对圆柱滚子推力轴承的氢含量进行分析。在这项工作的框架内，使用了两种不同的氢气分析方法，并对它们的适用性进行了评估。结果表明，所谓的“氢收集分析”（HCA）比“局部氢分析”（LHA）更适合于研究润滑剂化学成分与测试轴承中氢含量之间的相关性。用HCA进行的测量表明，在摩擦学条件下，自由移动和扩散的氢含量不断增加，这导致WEC的形成。用不含氢的油进行的对比测试表明，通过使用不含氢化物的润滑剂，可以减少由于WEC而导致系统失效的趋势。结果表明，所谓的“氢收集分析”（HCA）比“局部氢分析”（LHA）更适合于研究润滑剂化学成分与测试轴承中氢含量之间的相关性。用HCA进行的测量表明，在摩擦学条件下，自由移动和扩散的氢含量不断增加，这导致WEC的形成。用不含氢的油进行的对比测试表明，通过使用不含氢化物的润滑剂，可以减少由于WEC而导致系统失效的趋势。结果表明，所谓的“氢收集分析”（HCA）比“局部氢分析”（LHA）更适合于研究润滑剂化学成分与测试轴承中氢含量之间的相关性。用HCA进行的测量表明，在摩擦学条件下，自由移动和扩散的氢含量不断增加，这导致WEC的形成。用不含氢的油进行的对比试验表明，通过使用不含氢化物的润滑剂，可以减少由于WEC导致的系统失效的趋势。