AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO THE CHARACTERIZATION OF SURFACE WEAR .1. QUALITATIVE CHARACTERIZATION

Surface wear has been conventionally characterized by two-dimensional approaches primarily because historically there was a lack of proper t hree-dimensional measurement techniques and effective characterization methods. In recent years, many advanced three-dimensional instruments for surface topography measurement have become available. This has ha d the effect of stimulating the demand for characterization of surface wear through the three-dimensional techniques. Since there is no well -defined approach, this paper aims to initiate an integrated approach based on three-dimensional techniques to the characterization of surfa ce wear. This integrated approach will be prepared in two parts: part I consists of qualitative characterization, and part II the quantitati ve characterization. This paper addresses the first part of the integr ated approach, where visual and parametric characterization are discus sed. The methods and techniques used in the qualitative characterizati on are presented and described in conjunction with discussions of expe rimental results. Since qualitative characterization does not require relocation techniques during surface measurement and tribological test ing, it is simpler and more economical to use. Furthermore not only is the proposed approach effective in surface wear characterization, but also it would be useful as a guideline to assist the functional desig n of surfaces.