Some recent progress in microtribology in Japan

The micro in the word of microtribology is defined as science and engineering supported by modern physics and chemistry. In the engineering area, the ultimate goal of microtribology is to create practical zero-wear devices. The importance of microtribology was recognized by Japanese scientists and engineers in the latter half of the 1980s, and much progress has been made in microtribological studies of mechanisms of friction, lubrication with very thin liquid films, and microwear processes.