Influence of frictional energy dissipation on wear regime transition in dry tribo-systems

This paper investigates the factors affecting energy dissipation within a sliding material. For the purpose of investigation, it is assumed that there exists a limit to the thermal load that can be stored within the solid. When such limit is exceeded, the available thermal energy, depending on the state of congestion of the transport paths within the solid, may be utilised in generating irreversible entropy. Conditions leading to thermal flux accumulation, and hence entropy generation, are discussed. It is proposed that the nature of change in the thermal transport properties within the mechanically affected zone MAZ represents a self-organisation mechanism that controls the rate of wear and the transition in the wear regime. This relationship is verified through the study of wear data for fretting and linearly sliding dry tribo-systems.