Abstract

It is well known that when two hard bodies are rubbed together with an abrasive slurry introduced to promote wear, the two wearing surfaces become complementary mating spherical surfaces. In addition, it is known empirically that the radii of the surfaces depend on the relative motion between the two bodies. We assume the wear rates of the surfaces obey Preston's equation, that is, wear is proportional to the relative velocity times the pressure between the surfaces. We then calculate the pressure between the surfaces as a function of the shapes of the surfaces and their relative motion.

© 1989 Optical Society of America