Application of Dang Van Model Based on Critical Plane Approach for Rolling Contact Problems

Analyses of rolling contact fatigue (RCF) problems require the use of multiaxial fatigue criteria, which take into account complex non-proportional stress conditions. One of the most often used criteria to analyse this phenomenon is the Dang Van criterion. However, this criterion is often criticised due to its overestimation of the influence of compressive stresses on fatigue strength, which leads to an underestimation of the equivalent fatigue stress. Due to the high popularity of this hypothesis, in this paper a few modifications of the Dang Van criterion based on the critical plane approach are compared. One of the investigated modifications is a new proposal in which it is assumed that compressive hydrostatic stresses are as unfavourable as tensile stresses. All variants are verified in three ways: (1) by means of the experimental results for the out-of-phase pulsating compression and alternating torsion; (2) by comparison with the results obtained by means of the Papadopoulos criterion (which provides the most accurate results for RCF issues); and (3) using the example of an RCF analysis of a roller bearing. Based on these investigations, it is confirmed that the original Dang Van criterion is not suitable for application to RCF problems. It is shown that the mere omission of compressive hydrostatic stresses is also insufficient. The highest agreement with the experimental results (relative error δ = 0.77%), the Papadopoulos criterion (δ=5.8%) and, in the case of the practical application (roller bearing; δ=1.1%), is obtained for the proposed modification in which it is assumed that the compressive hydrostatic stress is an unfavourable for fatigue processes in the same way as the tensile hydrostatic stress.