Zhong-Rong Zhou • Hai-Yang Yu • Jing Zheng
Lin-Mao Qian • Yu Yan
2013
The word “tribology” was introduced in 1966 to embrace the separate subjects of friction, wear, lubrication, and bearing design. Most machinery involves interacting surfaces in relative motion, and a sound understanding of the fundamental nature of these interactions is essential for future progress. Human bodies illustrate many fi ne examples of tribology, from load-bearing synovial joints to teeth and the oral environment. Interest in these examples of biological and medical tribology precipitated the introduction of the term “biotribology” in 1973.