Epilogue to The NATO ASI on Fundamentals of Friction

Abstract

The NATO ASI at Braunlage was a fruitful exploration of the current state of knowledge and new approaches to friction processes (and other tribology-related matters). In addition to formal presentations, most of which are included in this book, the ASI devoted much of the last two days to discussing what areas of friction are well-understood and what issues need further clarification. The epilogue, divided into 5 parts, is a summary of those discussions as well as more recent inputs. The last day of the meeting was devoted to questions, answers and commentaries on “Future Issues in Friction at the Microscopic and Macroscopic Level.” One of the commentaries, by David Tabor, nicely captures the atmosphere of the meeting and provides a clear and concise summary of many of the issues addressed. A transcribed version of his comments is given in part 2, below.