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Shear strength and pressure, the primary
objective of lubrication is to reduce friction and wear of
sliding surfaces. This objective is achieved by introducing
a material with a low shear strength or coefficient of
friction between the wearing surfaces. Although nature
provides such materials in the form of oxides and other
contaminants, the reduction in friction due to their
presence is insufficient for machinery operation. For these
conditions, a second relationship is used to define the
coefficient of friction: µ = S/P, where S is the shear
strength of the material and P is pressure (or force)
contributing to compression. This relationship shows that
the coefficient of friction is a function of the force
required to shear a material.
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