Sliding wear and transfer

It is well known that transfer of material from one component of a sliding pair to the other occurs in many tribological systems. In the present paper the authors describe their observations on transfer material and on debris particles. Detailed structural and chemical information has been obtained by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning TEM and fluorescence analysis using energy-dispersive techniques (energy-dispersive analysis of X-rays) and wavelength analysis. The results show a clear connection between the transfer layer and the generation of loose wear debris for both unlubricated and lubricated sliding. Evidence of delamination of base material has not been observed in this work.