Glossary
Glossary of Tribology

Abrasion; abrasion

Loss of material of mechanical origin undergone on a microscopic scale by a solid A under the action of one or more solid bodies B applied against its surface with a normal force and animated by a velocity tangent to the surface of A. For B to abrade A, the hardness of B must exceed the hardness of A by at least 25%. Abrasion results in the removal of material in the form of small particles, either directly (formation of microchips), or by the detachment of elongated particles through oligocyclic mechanical fatigue under the action of cyclic plastic deformations. Abrasion occurs in two main areas:

• machining of materials, where material is removed from a workpiece (A) to change its shape and/or reduce its roughness and form deviations, using ceramic abrasive grains of high hardness that are attached...