Generally the total accumulated working revolution before the abrasion failure or the working hours under a certain revolution speed is called the abrasion lifespan of the bearing. Sliding friction exits between the rolling element and the raceway of the ring inside the bearing and between the cage and rolling element and ring which will lead to abrasion of the bearing parts.

The abrasion will be more intensified when hard particles, dirt and oxide enter into the bearing. As a result the surfacial quality of the working surface of the bearing parts will deteriorate, the revolving speed accuracy will decrease, and the vibration sound will increase finally bearing failure will occur. For bearings used on metal cutting machine, electric motor, building machinery and agricultural machinery, metal powder, oxide, sand particles and dirt are easy to invade. The bearings have the features of grinding by abrasive grain when the abrasion lifespan is much shorter than fatigue lifespan. Clean lubricant can effectively reduce abrasion.

Fretting abrasion refers to the dint shaped like hertz pressure surface which are regularly distributed on the raceway and which repeatedly and slightly vibrates on the high contact stress position between the contact surface of the rolling element and the raceway. Different from general plastic deformation this kind of abrasion failure generally occurs on the car steering main pin bearing and on the transporting machinery on the roads and railways which bear comparatively large impact.