The third-body approach: A mechanical view of wear

Abstract The third-body approach highlights the many features which are common to different types of materials in different types of rubbing contacts. It suggests that a picture which is globally coherent from a mechanical point of view, in that it obeys as a first step the laws of equilibrium and continuity, can be presented. That picture, which is strongly inspired by lubrication theory, is presented together with its many implications in both fundamentals of tribology and industrial solutions.