11 Contact with Wear or Adhesion

Abstract

In this chapter we present results on models of frictional contact when the wear of the contacting surfaces is taken into account. The importance of the control and minimization of the wear of industrial parts and components cannot be overstated, and therefore, effective models for the prediction of wear in industrial settings are indispensable to the design engineer. We describe three problems of contact with wear for viscoelastic materials of the form (6.4.3). The wear is described by the differential form of Archard’s law and the contact is bilateral in Sect. 11.1 and with the normal compliance condition in Sect. 11.2. It is assumed, in both cases, that the wear particles or debris are removed from the system as quickly as they are being produced. This is the case in many settings, and one of the functions of engine oil is to remove such debris. However, in other settings wear particles remain and migrate or diffuse in the gap between the contacting surfaces causing further wear and deterioration of the lubricant or of the surfaces themselves. We describe this in Sect. 11.3, where the diffusion equation is used for the debris.