Atomic-Scale Insights into Damage Mechanisms of GGr15 Bearing Steel Under Cyclic Shear Fatigue

Alternating shear stress is a critical factor in the accumulation of damage during rolling contact fatigue, severely limiting the service life of bearings. However, the specific mechanisms responsible for the cyclic shear fatigue damage in bearing steel have not been fully understood. Here the mechanical response and microstructural evolution of a model GGr15 bearing steel under cyclic shear loading are investigated through the implementation of molecular dynamics simulations. The samples undergo 30 cycles under three different loading conditions with strains of 6.2