Wear design > 20 questions about wear

20 questions about wear

1. What is wear or abrasion of steel?

Wear is loss of material from a surface subject to mechanical contact. Abrasion is a kind of wear arising from particles or sharp edges penetrating a surface.

2. What are the different types of wear of steel?

Wear of steel can be described as three main categories; adhesion, abrasive wear and surface fatigue. Adhesion is when two bonding surfaces are pressed together and subjected to a relative motion. Abrasive wear is particles or abrasive material with either sliding, erosion or impact wear or a combination of these. Surface fatigue is a specific wear of components with high surface pressure levels, e.g. rails and bearings.