Edward Kwon
Friction and Wear of Materials
HW #4
1. For applied normal loads Fn < 1N, the wear rate is of the order of 10-5 mm3/m. The observed
wear rate is relatively small due to the small normal load creating mild wear. During mild wear,
small, fine, particles are removed from the rubbing surfaces and at least some may oxidize. As
the load increases to 10 N, the wear rate increases to 10-1 mm3/m as larger particles are
removed. This is called severe wear. As the load increases even further to 102 N, the wear rate
drops back down to 10-3 mm3/m. The high flash temperatures cause rapid oxidation and
hardening of the surface, resulting in a smaller wear rate. This is the high temperature regime of
mild wear.