Property maps for abrasion resistance of materials.

Using mechanics models of contacting surfaces under both normal and tangential loads, a mechanistic framework has been developed for assessing material resistance to initiation of abrasive damage. Solutions are presented for the critical loads to initiate yielding and cracking at blunt contacts, as well as those to attain a prescribed plastic penetration depth and cause cracking from within the plastic zone at sharp contacts. Material property groups that characterize abrasion resistance emerge from the models. Guided by these groups, illustrative property maps are constructed and used to make comparative assessments of a wide range of engineering materials.