In this work, the wear behaviour of coated components subjected to sliding
contact conditions is investigated using a multiscale micromechanics approa
ch. Periodic unitcell-type continuum mechanics models are used to predict l
ocalized deformation patterns at the scale of the coating thickness (mesosc
ale) and the rate of material removal due to repeated sliding contact. To t
hat purpose, realistic contact loads determined at the component level (mac
roscale) are applied at the mesoscopic level. The results indicate that the
deformation of the coating is controlled by the cyclic accumulation of pla
stic deformation, or ratchetting, at the coating subsurface. Based on a rat
chetting failure criterion, a wear equation is proposed and applied to inve
stigate parametrically the influence of the principal material, loading and
surface roughness parameters on the wear rate. The results reveal that the
wear rate increases with contact pressure and depends on coating thickness
and the roughness of the counterpart surface. It was also found that a red
uction in the friction coefficient and an increase in the coating strain ha
rdening behaviour can considerably improve the wear resistance of coated co
mponents.