Molecular-Level Tribology Under Transient Conditions

The paper investigates the mechanisms that contribute to the formation of a lubricant film formed between contiguous bodies in concentrated contacts in conjunctions of order of few nanometers. It has been observed that in such vanishing gaps a lubricant film is formed due to the combined effects of Newtonian slow viscous action and molecular and structural forces in the intervening fluid and with surfaces in contact. The mechanism of solvation is not in accord with classical physics, but is little understood in the structureless environment that ensues beyond the continuum that is usually promoted by viscous action. The paper strives to explain the behaviour of this narrow conjunction, particularly the role of solvation effect under stop-start motion.