ABSTRACT
Lubrication, as well as wear, has been of great technological importance, especially in the field of machinery, and most of the investigations of lubrication have focused on lubricants applied to bearings and gears made of steel. Less attention has been directed to lubrication phenomena in the field of polymer science, since polymeric materials have been thought to be soft and poor in resistance against wear. Indeed, polymers have been used only as additives, such as solid-film lubricants. However, recent progress in polymer technology has enabled partial substitution of polymers for metallic materials, resulting in concurrent changes in lubrication science. Since detailed explanations for lubrication phenomena can be found in many monographs https://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> [ 1 - 6 ] https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9780429183980/54c72603-f124-4e5a-add2-1f5cddf9c199/content/eq1.tif" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/> , only a brief description will be given in this chapter.
