Removal of material by hard particles trapped between surfaces (three-body abrasion) or by a harder, rougher surface cutting a softer one (two-body abrasion). Silica dust, wear debris and leftover blasting grit cause most of it in plants. The most damaging particles are those close to the film thickness, roughly 1 to 10 microns, which is why fine filtration and good breathers pay back. It shows as fine parallel scratches in the sliding direction.
Scratches all run with the direction of travel, that's abrasive wear, dust is getting past the seals.
Also heard as
- abrasion
- three-body wear
- cutting wear
Related terms
ISO cleanliness code
Three-number code for how many particles above 4, 6 and 14 microns are in a millilitre of fluid.
Particle count
Count of solid particles per volume of oil, sorted by size, used to track dirt and wear debris.
Desiccant breather
Vent filter packed with drying beads that cleans and dries the air a gearbox or tank breathes in.
Adhesive wear
Wear where touching asperities weld together and tear, moving metal from one surface to the other.