Solution to the problem of contact wear for a four-ball wear-testing scheme

In this work, the theory of ball wear for a four-ball wear-testing scheme is presented. The direct problem of determining the dimensions of the worn place depending on the sliding distance and the inverse problem of determining the parameters of the wear model based on the data of wear tests have been solved. Solutions have been obtained for the initial zero and nonzero contact patch and are based on the assumption of a uniform distribution of the pressures over the contact area. The examples of numerical solutions to the problem of contact wears under consideration have been provided.