BS ISO 15243:2017 classifies different modes of failure occurring in service for rolling bearings made of
standard bearing steels. For each failure mode, it defines and describes the characteristics, appearance
and possible root causes of failure. It will assist in the identification of failure modes based on
appearance.For the purposes of this document, the following terms are explained:failure of a rolling bearing: the result of a damage that prevents the bearing meeting the intended
design performance or marks the end of service life;in service: as soon as the bearing has left the manufacturer?s factory;visible features: those that are possible to observe directly or with magnifiers or optical microscopes,
also those from pictures, but only with the use of non-destructive methods.Consideration is restricted to characteristic forms of change in appearance and failure that have welldefined
appearance and which can be attributed to particular causes with a high degree of certainty.The features of particular interest for explaining changes and failures are described. The various forms
are illustrated with photographs and the most frequent causes are indicated.If the root cause cannot be reliably assessed by the examination and characterization of visual
features against the information in this document, then additional investigations are to be considered.These methods are summarized in A.3 and may involve, for example, the use of invasive methods
possibly including taking of cross sections, metallurgical structural analysis by visual and electronic
microscopes, chemical and spectrographic analysis. These specialized methods are outside the scope of
this document.The failure mode terms shown in the subclause titles are recommended for general use. Where
appropriate, alternative expressions or synonyms used to describe the submodes are given and
explained in A.4.Examples of rolling bearing failures are given in A.2, together with a description of the causes of failure
and proposed corrective actions.Cross References:ISO 5593:1997 Ed 1 ISO 6601:2002 Ed 2ISO 8785:1998 (R04)ISO 281:2007 Ed 2 (R10)All current amendments available at time of purchase are included with the purchase of this document.