ON THE ROLE AND MECHANISM OF DRY TRIBOPARTICULATE LUBRICATION

Experience indicates that a wide spectrum of tribological interactions cannot be treated by the separate approaches that have always been as signed to the tribology of bulk on the one hand and the tribology of i nterfaces on the other hand. Experimental evidence from the literature and from the authors' recent expriments is cited in support of the hy pothesis that both morphological and hydrodynamic effects are al work in all interactions and that only their respective ratios differ from regime to regime. Thus, interface tribology demonstrates that friction and wear are more than intrinsic material properties. It also unifies all of tribology from hydrodynamic lubrication to dry friction throug h flow concepts and thus reconciles mechanics and tribology. In this p aper, interface tribology is reviewed, and wear and friction modeling for powder-lubricated systems as well as for solid contacts vis-ci-vis velocity accommodation is proposed. Further research is needed before the proposed approach can be used to model the wear of friction. Futu re research in wear is discussed with particular emphasis on sources a nd internal flows.