Boundary lubrication and oxidational wear

Describes the results of studies of the wear of aluminium bronze on steel in kerosene containing an organic acid additive. Based on the experimental results a single dominant mechanism has been isolated and a theoretical model for oxidational wear under boundary lubrication has been proposed. From the model an expression relating wear rate to applied load and involving a number of other surface parameters has been developed. As a test for the validity of the model the expression was used to evaluate contact temperature as a function of load in inserting measured wear rates. Good agreement was found between the calculated temperatures and estimated experimental values.