Contact Mechanics in Tribology

Tribology is a science of friction, wear and lubrication of moving components. Advances in tribology have made it possible to considerably reduce energy and material losses in machines and during technological processes. Mechanics of solids, in particular contact mechanics and fracture mechanics, is a powerful tool for investigation of basic tribological problems. This volume suggests new formulations and methods of solution of contact problems, describing specific features of friction interaction essential for tribology. These problems take into account the discreteness of contact of rough surfaces, surface inhomogeneity, properties of an intermediate medium, complicated boundary conditions, surface fracture, shape variations of surfaces in wear processes, and so on. The solutions of these problems are used to describe the friction and wear processes, to predict their characteristics for given loading and friction conditions, and to determine the optimal parameters of surface treatment for increasing the service life and reliability of moving components. Most solutions presented in the book are expressed in the closed form.