Wear and tribology

When two solids rub together they wear. The study of this and methods of reducing this wear is called Tribology. In general, wear is not a helpful process in equipment as it always leads to eventual machine failure. Wear is not to be confused with fatigue which does not involve the movement of two surfaces, although on a micro scale fatigue may be a contributor to the surface loose of material.

Wear is greatly reduced by the introduction of a lubricant between the surfaces. Ideally a film of lubricant will totally prevent wear, but in practice some wear continues due to particles suspended in the oil, machine overload and startup conditions.

Wear is a friction based process and as such, generates heat. This heat can be measured as a temperature gradient in the vicinity of the wear site. See the temperature rise page for more details.

As wear proceeds, the material that is eroded from the touching surfaces is usually swept away by the lubricant. The lubricant can be analyzed for particles. See the lubrication page for more information.