I learned to respect friction, as a phenomenon with many nuances, when I was a graduate student. One day, while teaching a problem session in elementary mechanics, I unwisely invented a new problem to ...

Friction is an intrinsic physical phenomenon to curling. Without it, objects in motion would move endlessly, without slowing down. This would cause many safety-related problems: Cars or trains could ...

The dynamic evolution of an elastic medium undergoing frictional slip is considered. The Coulomb law modeling the contact uses a friction coefficient that is a non-monotone function of the slip-rate.

The concepts of friction and wear are easy to understand, yet they can interrelate in complex ways within a tribological system (science concerned with interacting surfaces in relative motion ...

A simple one-piece sleeve is sometimes better for reducing friction than complex rolling-element bearings. Besides being greaseless, journal bearings can be made out of high-tech plastics for weight ...