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4
Fundamentals of Friction
In the preceding chapters we reviewed the foundations of mechanics and
thermodynamics that are of relevance to friction. We discussed the basics of
the theory of mechanical vibrations and stability, non-linear effects and self-
organization, thermodynamic kinetic relationships, and stability of the sta-
tionary states. In this chapter we will discuss friction in depth: the empirical
data about friction, its laws and mechanisms, thermodynamics of friction,
and various models of friction. We will identify properties of friction that
are invariant for different friction mechanisms and thus constitute the essence of
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