Friction, Wear and Lubrication: A Textbook in Tribology

Citation

Wilson, B. (1998), "Friction, Wear and Lubrication: A Textbook in Tribology", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 50 No. 5. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1998.01850eae.001

Friction, Wear and Lubrication: A Textbook in Tribology

Friction, Wear and Lubrication: A Textbook in Tribology

K.C. LudemaCRC PressBoc Raton, FL257 pp.ISBN 0 8493 2685 0 (hard cover)£56.50 in the UK from Business and Medical Book Centre, 9 Headlands Business Park, Ringwood BH24 3PB

Keywords: Friction, Lubrication, Tribology, Wear

Kenneth C. Ludema, the 1993 gold medallist of the International Tribology Council, is Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He holds PhDs from the Universities of Michigan and Cambridge. The book is the final form of the postgraduate course notes for students. As would be expected from an eminent tribologist, the book is a polished and thoughtful work in which the author draws his own, sometimes unconventional conclusions. His independence of mind and unusual insights into familiar topics make the book refreshing reading to anyone steeped in the traditional UK understanding of tribology.

The author comes across as a practical tribologist with strong interests in materials and experimentation. The mathematics content is minimal with the fundamental equations presented but usually not derived. However he examines the merits of empirical equations in considerable depth, including commenting critically on the more than 300 equations he discovered for friction and wear.

The book's first chapters include an introduction to the four "disciplines" of tribology:

1. 1.

   solid mechanics;

2. 2.

   fluid mechanics;

3. 3.

   material science;

4. 4.

   chemistry.

It ends with a list of the numerous maintenance tasks needed to keep a 1916 automobile running as an example of the progress of tribology since those days. The next four chapters summarise some "academic topics" such as the properties of solids; solid surfaces; adhesion, cohesion and adsorption; and contact mechanics. There are 42 pages on friction including a conclusion that "though we do not know exactly how it functions ... All mechanisms of friction and wear should be referred to as adhesive mechanisms". The other core subjects within tribology ­ lubrication, wear and chemical effects in sliding ­ each have a chapter devoted to them. There then follow three chapters discussing methods of solving problems in friction and wear. They cover equations for friction and wear, friction and wear testing and diagnostic methods. There is an appendix to chapter 12 aimed at helping readers get the best from microscopy, surface roughness measurement, and chemical analysis, including descriptions of the main types of instrument in use. On standard lubricant tests Professor Ludema found that:

• •

  with pin-V block tests ­ wear rate proportional to load squared.

• •

  with four ball tests ­ wear rate proportional to load to the power 4.75 and speed to the power 2.5.

• •

  results from block-on-ring tests were not sufficiently reproducible or consistent for reliable analysis.

Yet most wear equations equate wear linearly to load and speed. All in all, the book is thoroughly worth reading but certainly not the easiest of texts for a newcomer to the subject who might prefer a more straightforward, more basic approach. The experienced tribologist will find Professor Ludema's lecture notes a rewarding reference source as well as a book which it is enjoyable to read but which does not pretend to give all the answers.

Bill Wilson