Tribology of Interface Layers

Many tribological devices act as viable bearings in contrast to basic hydrodynamic theory. Similarly, powder films possess quasi-hydrodynamic features that allow them to act as conventional fluid film bearings. These phenomena have led to a novel definition of lubricants as intermediate layers, detailed in the present volume. Tribology of Interface Layers illustrates that the various lubrication modes, from dry to hydrodynamic to powder lubrication, overlap to such a degree that they exist on a tribological spectrum. Based on experimental and theoretical work, this text shows how the interdependence of powder and hydrodynamic lubrication exemplify this continuum in tribological processes.

Historical Perspective. The Rheology of Interface Lubricatoin. The Phenomenology of Lubrication. Direct Contact-Hydrodynamic Continuum. Hydrodynamic-Solid Films Continuum. Experimental Performance of Powder Layers. Powder Lubricated Tribo-Systems. Theory of Powder Lubrication. Granular Films. The Tribological Continuum.