The study of solid mechanics is essential to the ยฎeld of tribology, (friction, lubrication and wear). Tribology is of immense economic importance. The potential savings, were tribological principles better understood and applied to friction and wear reduction) may be several percent of the gross national product. Solutions to tribology problems often enable current technologies in a broad spectrum of applications from friction contact in the turbine shrouds of aircraft engines, to bearing contact in motor vehicle gear assemblies, to the sliding contact of magnetic storage disk drives. Conversely, tribology issues, e.g., the coecient of friction, may impact solid mechanics problems and tangential tractions are essentially free parameters in many cases.
Active issues of research in tribology where solid mechanics is applied include: friction and wear in dynamic loading of bearings to extend bearing life; models for contact and thermal stresses of sliding surface asperities; design criteria for magnetic recording heads, and behavior of human artiยฎcial joints to extend service life.
Countless other applications exist, requiring the development of essential theories of conforming and nonconforming surface behavior. Information such as the frictional response of surfaces in relative motion, and modes of stress and deformation emerges from the fusion of solid mechanics and tribology.