Influence of the Nonequilibrium Material State on Wear Resistance

The influence of the nonequilibrium state of a material on its wear resistance is investigated in this study. Using methods of non-equilibrium thermodynamics and the theory of self-organization, a non-equilibrium material is shown to possess an overall lower wear rate than a material in an equilibrium state. This was experimentally demonstrated to be the case in different materials and tribosystems, such as Babbit operating in complete lubrication conditions, copper in the current collector and a cutting tool with a coating applied on it.