Subsurface layer formation during sliding friction

Considering recent experimental studies and analysis of the literature, the authors substantiate the potential of physical mesomechanics for describing structural degradation of subsurface structures during friction and wear. Physical mesomechanics may be a useful approach for constructing a generalized hierarchical model that has its origin in vortical "shear + rotation" motion of mesovolumes resulting in formation of wear particles. The most important constituents of such a model are mechanical cyclic and thermal actions, both related to the interplay between the surface microirregularities, localization of strain and fragmentation of material at different scale levels.