In many of the problem thus far , the student has been asked to disregard or neglect friction . Actually , friction is present to some degree whenever two parts are in contact and move on each other. The term friction refers to the resistance of two or more parts to movement.
Friction is harmful or valuable depending upon where it occurs. friction is necessary for fastening devices such as screws and rivets which depend upon friction to hold the fastener and the parts together. Belt drivers, brakes, and tires are additional applications where friction is necessary.
The friction of moving parts in a machine is harmful because it reduces the mechanical advantage of the device. The heat produced by friction is lost energy because no work takes place. Also , greater power is required to overcome the increased friction. Heat is destructive in that it causes expansion. Expansion may cause a bearing or sliding surface to fit tighter. If a great enough pressure builds up because made from low temperature materials may melt.
There are three types of friction which must be overcome in moving parts: (1)starting, (2)sliding, and(3)rolling. Starting friction is the friction between two solids that tend to resist movement. When two parts are at a state of rest, the surface irregularities of both parts tend to interlock and form a wedging action. To produce motion in these parts, the wedge-shaped peaks and valleys of the stationary surfaces must be made to slide out and over each other. The rougher the two surfaces, the greater is starting friction resulting from their movement .
Since there is usually no fixed pattern between the peaks and valleys of two mating parts, the irregularities do not interlock once the parts are in motion but slide over each other. The friction of the two surfaces is known as sliding friction. As shown in figure ,starting friction is always greater than sliding friction .
Rolling friction occurs when roller devces are subjected to tremendous stress which cause the parts to change shape or deform. Under these conditions, the material in front of a roller tends to pile up and forces the object to roll slightly uphill. This changing of shape , known as deformation, causes a movement of molecules. As a result ,heat is produced from the added energy required to keep the parts turning and overcome friction.


現(xiàn)在看來，有很多這種情況，許多學(xué)生在被問到關(guān)于摩擦的問題時，往往都沒引起足夠的重視，甚至是忽視它。實際上，摩擦從某種程度上說，存在于任何兩個相接 觸并有相對運動趨勢的部件之間。而摩擦這個詞，本身就意味著，兩個或兩個以上部件的阻止相對運動趨勢。
在一個機器中，運動部件的摩擦是有害的，因為它降低了機械對能量的充分利用。由它引起的熱能是一種浪費的能 量。因為不能用它做任何事情。還有，它還需要更大的動力來克服這種不斷增大的摩擦。熱能是有破壞性的。因為它產(chǎn)生了膨脹。而膨脹可以使得軸承或滑 動表面之間的配合更緊密。如果因為膨脹導(dǎo)致了一個足夠大的積壓力，那么，這個軸承就可能會卡死或密封死。另外，隨著溫度的升高，如果不是耐高溫材料制造的軸承，就可能會損壞甚至融化。
在運動部件之間會發(fā)生很多摩擦，如
1.啟動摩擦
2.滑動摩擦
3.轉(zhuǎn)動摩擦。
啟動摩擦是兩個固體之間產(chǎn)生的傾向于組織其相對運動趨勢的摩擦。當(dāng)兩個固體處于靜止?fàn)顟B(tài)時，這兩個零件表面的不平度 傾向于相互嵌入，形成楔入作用，為了使這些部件“動”起來。這些靜止部件的凹谷和尖峰必須整理光滑，而且能相互抵消。這兩個表面之間越不光滑，由運動造成的啟動摩擦（最大靜摩擦力）就會越大。