The crater wear of alumina coated WC-Co cutting tools is thought to be influenced by the chemical reactions between the coating and the workpiece material. Three different crystal orientations ((001), (012), and (100) of alpha alumina CVD coatings are examined in combination with four workpiece materials of steel to establish what reactions are present, and the extent of diffusion. The alumina coatings and workpiece materials were pressed together as diffusion couples and heat treated at 1250- 1300°C for 10-20hours. It was fond that the types of inclusions present in the workpiece were more impactful on the chemical wear of the coating than the crystal orientation of the coating. EDS measurements show significant amounts of W and Co on the surface of the coatings and on the steel surfaces after heat treatment. This is thought to be connected to the migration of Co through the coating in cooling cracks and other impurities. In the surface of the coating, areas of solidified Co-rich structure have been found, implying that Co has formed an alloy with Fe, C, Al, and W with sufficiently low melting temperature to partially melt during the heat treatment. This has been confirmed as possible by simulations in Thermo-calc. Turning tests and scratch tests were made with the same combinations of coatings and workpiece material and show differences in adhesion of workpiece material on the different coating orientations. The 100-orientation has been found to have the most adhered workpiece material, the reason for this being its higher surface roughness. Ultimately no noticeable differences in chemical reactivity between the coating crystal orientations was found. The Co diffusion though the coating occurred for all the coating orientations and further experiments in turning with the different workpiece materials are required to determine the effect of Ca-rich inclusions on the magnitude of chemical wear. / <p>Handledare på företag:</p><p>Susanne Norgren </p><p>Doc.  Ph.D,  Group Expert Materials Design</p>

In sheet metal forming (SMF) of materials such as stainless steels there is a major problem with transfer and accumulation of sheet material to the metal forming tool surface. The problem is known as galling; a kind of severe adhesive wear, which results in severe scratching of produced parts. In this thesis, galling observed in contacts between tool steels and stainless steel sheets under lubricated sliding conditions was studied, focusing on the early stage of galling. It was found that changes in friction cannot be used as galling indicator in the early stage of galling because transfer and accumulation of sheet material happens even though friction is low and stable. The progression of galling is influenced by tool steel damage occurring around the tool steel hard phases caused by sheet material flow, which results in formation of wear-induced galling initiation sites. A correlation between the critical contact pressure to galling and sheet material proof stress was found. Galling happened at lower pressures for sheet material with lower proof stress possibly due to easier sheet material flow, resulting in quicker tool damage. Material transfer and tool steel damage were delayed for tool steels comprising homogenously distributed, small and high hard phases. Additionally, the galling resistance was higher for tool steels with higher hardness due to decreased tool steel damage. In a comparison between observations of the worn tool surfaces after wear tests and calculations in FEM it was found that material transfer did not take place at regions with highest contact pressures but at regions with highest plastic strains. The results obtained in this thesis indicate that tool steel damage and sheet material flow occurring in the contact during sliding are important factors influencing galling.

(1) Background: From a young age, boys are more often affected by tooth wear than girls. This suggests an influence of the male sex hormone (testosterone) on the aetiology of tooth wear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence of tooth wear in relation to steroid hormone levels in children. (2) Methods: 1022 test persons aged between 10 and 18 (491 male, 531 female) from the LIFE Child study underwent medical and dental examination. Tooth wear was measured through clinical inspection. Blood samples were taken to determine hormone levels (testosterone, SHBG). The level of free testosterone was calculated from the ratio of testosterone to SHBG. Using multivariable methods, the incidence of tooth wear was analyzed as a function of hormone levels, while controlling for confounders such as age, sex, social status, and orthodontic treatment. (3) Results: The incidence of tooth wear increased with age in both sexes. Boys showed significantly more often attrition facets than girls (17.5% vs. 13.2%, p < 0.001). Subjects with tooth wear showed significantly higher free testosterone levels than those without (males: p < 0.001, females: p < 0.05). After controlling for confounding variables, the risk of tooth wear increased by approximately 30.0% with each year of life (odds ratio [OR]boys = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04–1.56; [OR]girls = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.08–1.61). In addition, the risk of tooth wear increased by 6.0% per free testosterone scale score only in boys (OR = 1.06, 95% CI = 1.01–1.12). (4) Conclusions: Tooth wear is common in children and in adolescents, and it increases steadily with age in both sexes. The stronger increase and the higher prevalence among male adolescents can be explained by the additional effect of free testosterone.

The cutting tool inserts are used in different machining processes and are most often made out of cemented carbide and have different geometries depending on application. During the machining process, the insert is subjected to elevated temperatures and high pressure which cause the insert to be worn out. Depending on the cutting conditions different wear mechanism and wear types appear on the insert. One of the most common wear types are flank wear but according to experts there is a lack of publication in this area and there are not sufficient information about how flank wear affects the thermo-mechanical loads that act on the insert. The present project was performed together with AB Sandvik Coromant with the aim to develop a fundamental understanding of loads on worn cemented carbide inserts during metal cutting. An additional aim is to investigate to which degree of detail the thermo-mechanical loads on the flank wear land (VB) can be modeled with regards to e.g. the angle between the wear land and the cutting direction. This was executed by modeling a worn insert in CAD and then importing the model to the software AdvantEdge, to simulate the cutting process. The results from the simulations are presented with TecPlot as figures showing the temperature and pressure distributions on the insert as well as plots generated in MATLAB showing the contact pressure. While analysing the results it was partly found that varying the VB affected the distribution of load and stresses. It was also found that the temperature decreased as the angle of the flank wear decreased. The highest temperatures were present was along the part of the rake face closest to the cutting edge, as well as at the bottom of the VB. Possible future outlooks in this area of work is to investigate how to get a more refined mesh on the workpiece, in order to optimize the cutting process and its results.

O esmalte dental é o tecido mineralizado mais duro do corpo humano; apesar disto, seu desgaste é um problema muito comum. Este pode estar associado aos processos de envelhecimento, ou ainda, ser encontrado em indivíduos jovens, como consequência de atividades parafuncionais, por exemplo, atrição dental. Este tipo de dano pode resultar em prejuízo da função mastigatória e em diminuição da qualidade de vida. Por isto, o desgaste do esmalte dental tem sido objeto de muitos estudos, embora poucos tenham utilizado conceitos tribológicos. Não foi encontrado nenhum estudo que explorasse o desgaste de esmalte e seus micromecanismos oriundos do deslizamento alternado de incisivo contra incisivo, configuração que mais se aproxima do tribossistema real de atrição. O presente estudo tem por objeto investigar o desgaste e seus mecanismos em pares deslizantes de esmalte incisal (configuração pino-plano), selecionados por seus similares valores de dureza e de tenacidade à fratura, submetidos a diferentes cargas normais e lubrificações do meio. Incisivos bovinos foram ensaiados em deslizamento alternado sob duas cargas normais (8 N e 16 N) e quatro modos de lubrificação: saliva natural; saliva artificial; gel lubrificante oral (Oralbalance!, Biotène); e grupo controle sem lubrificação (seco). Durante os ensaios, foram levantadas as curvas de atrito. O volume desgastado e a rugosidade da superfície foram mensurados via perfilometria 3D. Os micromecanismos de desgaste foram analisados ao microscópio eletrônico de varredura. O aumento da carga normal aplicada resultou em aumento do volume de desgaste para todas as condições. Comparando-se ao grupo sem lubrificação, as salivas (natural e artificial) não reduziram o desgaste, mas a lubrificação com o gel foi efetiva para reduzir tanto o volume de esmalte desgastado como o coeficiente de atrito. A relação entre o valor do parâmetro de rugosidade Sq e o coeficiente de atrito não foi linear, nem entre a rugosidade Sq e o coeficiente de desgaste, para todas as condições. Os micromecanismos de desgaste encontrados foram, em ordem crescente de severidade: desgaste da região interprismática (8 N - gel); propagação de trincas interprismáticas (8 N - seco); reações triboquímicas associadas à ação mecânica (8 N - saliva natural e artificial; 16 N - gel; 16 N - saliva natural e artificial); e desplacamento (16 N - seco). / Enamel is the hardest mineralized tissue in the human body; despite that, the enamel wear is a very common problem. The wear damage can be related to aging processes or also be found in young people as a result of parafunctional activities, for example, dental attrition. This type of damage can result in loss of masticatory function and decreased quality of life. Therefore, the wear of the enamel has been the subject of many studies, although few have used tribological concepts. The wear mechanisms of reciprocating sliding pairs from incisor against incisor have not been reported in the literature, this configuration is the one that is closest to the real tribosystem of attrition. The present study aims to investigate the wear behavior and the related mechanisms in reciprocating sliding pairs of incisal enamel (pin-on-flat configuration), selected for their similar hardness and fracture toughness values, with different applied normal loads and lubrication conditions. Bovine incisors were tested in reciprocating sliding with different applied normal loads (8 N and 16 N) and four lubrication conditions: natural saliva; artificial saliva; oral gel lubricant (Oralbalance!, Biotène); and control group (dry). During tests, the friction curves were recorded. The volume loss and the surface roughness Sq were investigated by 3D profilometry. Wear mechanisms were analyzed by scanning electron microscope. The increase of the normal load resulted in an increased volume loss for all conditions. Comparing to the group without lubrication, the saliva (natural and artificial) did not reduce the volume loss, but the lubricant gel was effective to reduce both the volume loss and the coefficient of friction. The relationship between the value of the roughness Sq and the friction coefficient was not linear, nor between the roughness Sq and the wear coefficient for all conditions. In increasing order of severity, the micromechanisms of wear were: wear at the interrod enamel (8 N - gel); crack propagation in the interrod enamel (8 N - dry); tribochemical reactions associated with mechanical wear (8 N - natural saliva and artificial saliva; 16 N - gel; 16 N - natural saliva and artificial saliva); and flake-like wear (16 N - dry).

This research conducts tribological investigation in three areas. The first area of research is to obtain basic understanding of tribological properties of high performance Inconel alloys. Pin-on-disk testing was conducted through a range of applied normal loads and sliding velocities in an unlubricated condition. Average friction coefficient, friction work, and specific wear rates were calculated from the data and microscopy techniques were used to observe and characterize wear mechanisms. Experimental results show a dependence of average coefficient of friction as a function of frictional work. Also shown is the wear rate dependence on frictional work, predicated by a wear mechanism change. This research gives a tribological baseline for high performance alloys. The second area of research is in the in situ spatial study of friction, complemented by monitoring changes in electrical contact resistance (ECR). Pin-on-disk testing of samples was done under low normal loads and velocities. Friction and electrical contact resistance measurements were taken spatially in the wear track during each friction cycle, giving a spatial evolution of friction and resistance change, in situ. Results show a lowering in the ECR under increased friction cycles, which was closely related to a change in the friction coefficient of the material. Using surface profilometry and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, we determined that the lowering of resistance is a result of surface modification through wear and development of a friction induced conductive tribo-film. This research provides a simple method for in situ monitoring of friction and solidifies a fundamental relationship between friction and contact resistance. The third area of research is the design of a variable force tribometer, incorporating the fundamental results demonstrated in the first two experiments. The creation of a novel testing apparatus to test materials under dynamic tribological conditions is given in detail. Simple experiments were performed on an Inconel sample and preliminary results show how dynamic normal and tangential forces affect the friction coefficient. These early results utilizing the variable force tribometer will lay the groundwork for more advanced research into the dynamic nature of friction.

Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are emerging as advanced engineering materials for application in aerospace, defence, automotive and consumer industries (sports goods etc.). In MMCs, a metallic base material is reinforced with ceramic fiber, whisker or particulate in order to achieve a combination of properties not attainable by either constituent individually. Aluminium or its alloy is favoured as metallic matrix material because of its low density, easy fabricability and good engineering properties. In general, the benefits of aluminium metal matrix composites (AMCs) over unreinforced aluminium alloy are increased specific stiffness, improved wear resistance and decreased coefficient of thermal expansion. The conventional reinforcement materials for AMCs are SiC and AI2O3. In the present work, boron carbide (B4C) particles of average size 40μm were chosen as reinforcement because of its higher hardness (very close to diamond) than the conventional reinforcement like SiC, AI2O3 etc. and of its density (2.52 g cm"3) very close to Al alloy matrix. In addition, due to high neutron capture cross-section of 10B isotope, composites containing B4C particle reinforcement have the potential for use in nuclear reactors as neutron shielding and control rod material. Al-5%Mg alloy was chosen as matrix alloy to utilize the beneficial role of Mg in improving wettability between B4C particles and the alloy melt. (Al-5%Mg)-B4C composites containing 10 and 20 vol% B4C particles were fabricated. For the purpose of inter-comparison, unreinforced Al-5%Mg alloy was also prepared and characterized. The Stir Cast technique, commonly utilized for preparation of Al-SiC, was adapted in this investigation.The Composites thus prepared was subsequently hot extruded with the objective of homogenization and healing minor casting defects. Finally the unreinforced alloy and its composites were characterized in terms of their microstructure, mechanical and thermo-physical properties, sliding wear behaviour and neutron absorption characteristics. The microstructures of the composites were evaluated by both optical microscope and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The micrographs revealed a relatively uniform distribution of B4C particles and good interfacial integrity between matrix and B4C particles. The hot hardness in the range of 25°C to 500°C and indentation creep data in the range of 300°C to 400°C show that hot hardness and creep resistance of Al-Mg alloy is enhanced by the presence of B4C particles. Measurement of coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of composites and unreinforced alloy upto 450°C showed that CTE values decrease with increase in volume fraction of reinforcement. Compression tests at strain rates, 0.1, 10 and 100 s-1 in the temperature range 25 - 450 °C showed that the flow stress values of composites were, in general, greater than those of unreinforced alloy at all strain rates. These tests also depicted that the compressive strength increases with increase in volume fraction of reinforcements. True stress values of composites and unreinforced alloy has been found to be a strong function of temperature and strain rate. The kinetic analysis of elevated temperature plasticity of composites revealed higher stress exponent values compared to unreinforced alloy. Similarly, apparent activation energy values for hot deformation of composites were found to be higher than that of self-diffusion in Al-Mg alloy. Tensile test data revealed that the modulus and 0.2% proof stress of composites increase with increase in volume fraction of the reinforcements. Composites containing 10%BUC showed higher ultimate tensile strength values (UTS) compared to unreinforced alloy. However, composites with 20%B4C showed lower UTS compared to that of the unreinforced alloy. This could be attributed to increased level of stress concentration and high level of plastic constraint imposed by the reinforcing jparticles or due to the presence solidification-induced defects (pores and B4C agglomerates ). Sliding wear characteristics were evaluated at a speed of 1 m/s and at loads ranging from 0.5 to 3.5kg using a pin-on-disc set up. Results show that wear resistance of Al-5%Mg increases with the addition of B4C particles. Significant improvement in wear resistance of Al-5%Mg is achieved with the addition of 20% B4C particles. SEM examination of worn surfaces showed no pull-out of reinforcing particles even at the highest load of 3.5 kg, thus confirming good interfacial bonding between dispersed B4C particles and Al alloy matrix. The neutron radiography data proved that (Al-5%Mg)-B4C composites possess good neutron absorbing characteristics. From the experimental data evaluated in the "study, it may be concluded that (Al-5%Mg)-B4C composites could be a candidate material for neutron shielding and control rod application. The enhanced elevated temperature-strength and favourable neutron absorption characteristics of these composites are strong points in favour of this material.

When loss of material due to sliding of two solids is promoted/prevented, in the presence of chemically reacting liquid or gas, tribochemical wear is said to occur. Tribochemical wear, in which corrosive media promotes material loss, is a serious concern in a variety of applications like machining, bio-implants, gas turbine engines etc. The most pervasive corrosive media encountered in applications are water and air. Air also contains water vapour along with oxygen, both of which adsorb and react with most materials, thus influencing their wear behaviour. The need for higher operating temperatures and compression ratios in gas turbine engines require development of high temperature wear resistant coatings to protect their soft metallic components. Ti based nitride coatings with Ti, Al, Si, Cr, Ta, Nb, V are known for wear resistance because of their high hardness which is second only to diamond and c-BN. High O affinity of these elements, induce the coatings to form passive oxide scale up to reasonably high temperatures and offer superior corrosion and oxidation resistance. However, sliding can remove the passivating layer, exposing the native surface to the environment which can lead to enhanced tribochemical wear. Oxidation resistance under static conditions does not guarantee low tribochemical wear; however, the tribochemical reactions causing the corrosion are of interest. Another concern is that sliding in unison with high temperatures can activate processes like enhanced diffusion, phase transformations in nitride coatings as well as in the substrate. Hence one of our objectives is to perform wear tests at high temperatures to understand the dominant mechanisms that affect wear in nitride coatings. Wear tests in the range of room temperature up to the oxidation limit of these coatings are designed.In this study TiN and high aluminium containing TiAlN coatings are chosen to study understand the wear behaviour as function of temperature up to 800°C [1]–[3]. In order to study wear of coatings, it is necessary to identify the best possible materials and methods. Though under the targeted application the coatings have to perform under fretting tests, pin on disk configuration is used which simplifies the analysis and gives deeper insight into the wear mechanism. Coated ball is used as the pin which is stationary unlike many earlier studies where the coating is applied on the rotating disk. The purpose of keeping the pin stationary is to minimize the counter-face wear and, instead, accelerate wear in these hard coatings. This method also enables easy and accurate measurement of wear depth and volume by using an optical microscope, while the conventional coated disk method requires profilometry and statistically sound measurements. To enable coating performance, substrate should not undergo much loss of strength before 800°C and hence aerospace grade IN718 alloy is chosen as the substrate which softens slowly beyond 650°C. Alumina is used as counter-face, since it has high hardness, excellent mechanical, chemical and thermal stability. In the current study, TiAlN coating is tested for wear in the range of room temperature to 800°C. Figure 1 represents the data obtained from the wear experiments. It is found that the wear is higher with large scatter at room temperature while it remains constant from 200- 750°C. Two important observations are made, firstly that the TiAlN is susceptible to some kind of a corrosive wear at room temperature which depended on the timing of the tests and secondly that the coating shows a surprisingly constant wear behaviour over the temperature range of 200-750°C. The scatter at room temperature is found to be linked with seasonal fluctuation of humidity which is verified by performing tests under controlled humidity conditions. Water vapour and oxygen are potential reacting gases present in air. Oxidation and oxidative wear is known to occur in many materials as temperatures increase which seem to be linked to thermal activation of oxidation. However lower wear at 200°C and above compared to room temperatures suggests something else to be happening .It is evident then that between room temperature and 200°C lies a transition of some kind in the tribochemical reaction which is responsible for the observed wear behaviour of TiAlN. A detailed study to understand this transition is then undertaken for the composition of TiN coatings so that benchmarking and comparison with TiAlN is possible. Also if the wear behaviour of TiN is found similar to TiAlN then it would indicate a general phenomenon which can be extended to Ti based nitrides. Figure 1 Wear rate as a variation of temperature for TiAlN coatings In contrast to low temperature wear behaviour of TiAlN, a constant wear in the range of 200-750°C is surprising because the primary suspect which is oxidation is thermally activated. The oxide scale though expected to be thin at low temperatures, has to increase in thickness with temperature due to increased diffusion and reaction rates. The oxide scale also undergoes a change in morphology and composition which indicate a lower oxidation resistance as temperature increases. A preliminary characterization of the wear scar on the ball shows that the oxide inside the worn region is thinner than the oxide outside at 750°C. The amount of O within the wear scar is similar to levels observed on as deposited surface while the surface outside the wear scar shows oxidation and discolouration. The results suggest that oxidation inside worn region at high temperatures might be slower than the expected parabolic oxidation occurring outside the wear region. It is speculated that a double layer oxide is formed with TiO2 towards the surface and Al2O3 towards the nitride which is responsible for the lower wear at high temperature. This is supported by the fact that larger amount of Ti is found in the wear debris as temperature inceases. Superficial surface cracks appear at higher loads at temperatures as low as 600°C but they affect wear only above 800°C due to substrate softening. This shows that the coatings are still limited by the substrate softening temperature and could be used at higher temperatures. Tribo-reaction in metals, nitrides and carbides can be brought about in the presence of O2 or water vapour. Tribochemical wear of SiN, SiC, TiN, TiAlN, alumina and most other ceramics at room temperature are found to depend on humidity[4]–[6]. But only tribo-oxidation due to O2 is found to operate at high temperatures[7], [8]. Notwithstanding, it is known that SiC and SiN are more resistant to attack from O2 above 800°C than from steam. Hence the role played by water vapour is found to be convoluted. Moreover, relative humidity is the frequently mentioned quantity with regard tribochemical wear at room temperatures. It should be noted that relative humidity is not a measure of chemical activity of water vapour. Rather the water vapour pressure which represents the chemical activity of water, is not given much importance in the earlier studies. In this study, the importance of humidity, water vapour pressure and temperature in influencing wear, is studied by performing controlled wear tests on TiN. To explore the effect of temperature and water vapour pressure, TiN is tested varying temperature range of 28 °C to 90°C and water vapour pressure in the range of 3-35 mm-of-Hg. Wear tests are conducted keeping temperature constant with varying water vapour pressure and vice versa. The results show that, wear increased with humidity/vapour pressure at a fixed temperature but wear dropped drastically with increase in temperature at constant vapour pressure up to a critical temperature beyond which wear remained constant. This is one of the major unexpected findings since temperature is expected to increase wear volume. Also the critical temperature is found to shift to higher temperatures as water vapour pressures increased. It was suspected that capillary condensation was playing a role in the wear which was later verified. The whole wear behaviour is shown to be correlated with the amount of capillary condensed water. The large radius of curvature of the asperities on the polished coating surface and the smooth surface formed on the counter-face due to debris compaction form conditions favourable for capillary condensation. Any two hydrophilic surfaces which come in contact can form capillary condensation to occur at the cusps formed around the contact. However a threshold pore size of about 1nm existed below which condensation did not influence wear. Another observation is that the water vapour did not affect wear significantly in the absence of condensation for TiN coatings. As temperatures increased condensation became unfavourable, but the high vapour pressure present showed no signs of wear enhancement. This is surprising and unexpected compared to earlier reports.[9], [10] On contrary tests in liquid water showed expected behaviour for tribochemical reaction i.e wear increased with temperature. The wear in liquid water is highest when compared studies in air at any given temperature. The X-ray electron emission spectroscopy (XPS) analysis is performed to understand the surface reactions. It appears that O2 forms a barrier oxide which protects the nitride from reacting with water vapour. However when condensation occurs or in water, the oxygen and water collude into forming softer hydroxide layer which is easily removed. Though chemically water and water vapour are same, they affect wear in TiN very differently. Summarising the synopsis, exploration into high temperature wear of TiAlN reveals that it can handle oxidative wear upto 750°C showing constant wear over the temperature range of 200-750°C. Reduction in residual stresses and substrate softening may be responsible for higher wear at higher loads since the cracking is observed at 5N is absent at 3N. The substrate is expected to soften above 650°C but this does not necessarily affect wear until the load is increased or the temperature is sufficiently high. However TiAlN and TiN coatings showed susceptibility to tribo-corrosion in water and high humidity at room temperature. At high humidity, condensation of water leads to increase in wear. The dependence of wear on humidity is found to be because of capillary condensation. The negligible dependence of wear on humidity in the absence of condensation is ascribed to formation of oxide layer due to reaction with O2 and coating. The oxide barrier formed due to atmospheric O2 protects the coating from reacting with the water vapour. The oxide barrier on TiN forms faster indicating O2 reaction to be faster than the reaction with water vapour. In the presence of capillary condensation or water, O2 is depleted from contacting surfaces thus hindering the formation of the barrier oxide, increasing wear. As temperature increases the condensation becomes unfavourable and barrier oxide dominates the wear mechanism upto high temperatures which is dominated by oxidative wear.

Aseptic loosening due to polyethylene wear presents one of the most frequently occurring joint replacement complications requiring a revision surgery. Numerous scientific works and publications deal with the issue of morphology, determination and distribution of wear particles. Few studies, however, determine reliably amounts of particles in individual periprosthetic zones. The objective of this work was to evaluate the correlation between amounts of wear particles and periprosthetic osteolysis findings. Description of distribution of these particles in the surroundings of joint replacement presented further objectives of the work. Wear particles were isolated from granuloma obtained during revisions of total hip replacements. Amounts of wear particles were determined using IRc. These findings were correlated with X-ray examinations and intraoperative findings. Method of progressive enzymatic degradation of tissue was used in order to describe wear particles distribution in polyethylene granuloma and surrounding periprosthetic tissues. Results showed uneven incidence of wear particles in the surroundings of the total joint replacement. The incidence correlated with X-ray examinations and intraoperative findings. Distribution of particles was described as well as new determination methods and further...

O esmalte dental é o tecido mineralizado mais duro do corpo humano; apesar disto, seu desgaste é um problema muito comum. Este pode estar associado aos processos de envelhecimento, ou ainda, ser encontrado em indivíduos jovens, como consequência de atividades parafuncionais, por exemplo, atrição dental. Este tipo de dano pode resultar em prejuízo da função mastigatória e em diminuição da qualidade de vida. Por isto, o desgaste do esmalte dental tem sido objeto de muitos estudos, embora poucos tenham utilizado conceitos tribológicos. Não foi encontrado nenhum estudo que explorasse o desgaste de esmalte e seus micromecanismos oriundos do deslizamento alternado de incisivo contra incisivo, configuração que mais se aproxima do tribossistema real de atrição. O presente estudo tem por objeto investigar o desgaste e seus mecanismos em pares deslizantes de esmalte incisal (configuração pino-plano), selecionados por seus similares valores de dureza e de tenacidade à fratura, submetidos a diferentes cargas normais e lubrificações do meio. Incisivos bovinos foram ensaiados em deslizamento alternado sob duas cargas normais (8 N e 16 N) e quatro modos de lubrificação: saliva natural; saliva artificial; gel lubrificante oral (Oralbalance!, Biotène); e grupo controle sem lubrificação (seco). Durante os ensaios, foram levantadas as curvas de atrito. O volume desgastado e a rugosidade da superfície foram mensurados via perfilometria 3D. Os micromecanismos de desgaste foram analisados ao microscópio eletrônico de varredura. O aumento da carga normal aplicada resultou em aumento do volume de desgaste para todas as condições. Comparando-se ao grupo sem lubrificação, as salivas (natural e artificial) não reduziram o desgaste, mas a lubrificação com o gel foi efetiva para reduzir tanto o volume de esmalte desgastado como o coeficiente de atrito. A relação entre o valor do parâmetro de rugosidade Sq e o coeficiente de atrito não foi linear, nem entre a rugosidade Sq e o coeficiente de desgaste, para todas as condições. Os micromecanismos de desgaste encontrados foram, em ordem crescente de severidade: desgaste da região interprismática (8 N - gel); propagação de trincas interprismáticas (8 N - seco); reações triboquímicas associadas à ação mecânica (8 N - saliva natural e artificial; 16 N - gel; 16 N - saliva natural e artificial); e desplacamento (16 N - seco). / Enamel is the hardest mineralized tissue in the human body; despite that, the enamel wear is a very common problem. The wear damage can be related to aging processes or also be found in young people as a result of parafunctional activities, for example, dental attrition. This type of damage can result in loss of masticatory function and decreased quality of life. Therefore, the wear of the enamel has been the subject of many studies, although few have used tribological concepts. The wear mechanisms of reciprocating sliding pairs from incisor against incisor have not been reported in the literature, this configuration is the one that is closest to the real tribosystem of attrition. The present study aims to investigate the wear behavior and the related mechanisms in reciprocating sliding pairs of incisal enamel (pin-on-flat configuration), selected for their similar hardness and fracture toughness values, with different applied normal loads and lubrication conditions. Bovine incisors were tested in reciprocating sliding with different applied normal loads (8 N and 16 N) and four lubrication conditions: natural saliva; artificial saliva; oral gel lubricant (Oralbalance!, Biotène); and control group (dry). During tests, the friction curves were recorded. The volume loss and the surface roughness Sq were investigated by 3D profilometry. Wear mechanisms were analyzed by scanning electron microscope. The increase of the normal load resulted in an increased volume loss for all conditions. Comparing to the group without lubrication, the saliva (natural and artificial) did not reduce the volume loss, but the lubricant gel was effective to reduce both the volume loss and the coefficient of friction. The relationship between the value of the roughness Sq and the friction coefficient was not linear, nor between the roughness Sq and the wear coefficient for all conditions. In increasing order of severity, the micromechanisms of wear were: wear at the interrod enamel (8 N - gel); crack propagation in the interrod enamel (8 N - dry); tribochemical reactions associated with mechanical wear (8 N - natural saliva and artificial saliva; 16 N - gel; 16 N - natural saliva and artificial saliva); and flake-like wear (16 N - dry).