Microgeometry of sliding surfaces and wear particles in lubricated contact

It is widely accepted that so-called adhesive wear occurs as a result of fracture around microscopic contact points. A basic strategy in analysing the wear is discussed such that the wear process is broken down into several elemental processes in which removal of wear particles and associated modification of the microgeometry form important parts. An experiment on lubricated wear is described in which characteristic features of the microgeometry of sliding surfaces and those of the wear particles are discussed. The results suggest a mechanism in which ridges on the surfaces along the sliding direction become fatigued and give rise to the formation of flake like wear particles.