AbstractA method of analysing the wear and friction properties of multiphase materials and composites in abrasion is described. The method is based on the pressure distribution between the phases in the contact zone. From wear and friction measurements, pressure distribution mode coefficients can be calculated. These give information about how the applied load is distributed between the phases, and thus describe the contribution of each phase to the overall tribological properties of a composite or multiphase material. The importance of the pressure distribution in the contact area, and its effect on wear and friction properties are discussed in detail. The technique described can be used to estimate upper and lower bounds for the wear and friction properties of a multiphase material from the tribological properties of the individual phases. It can also be used to predict whether a phase contributes optimally to the tribological properties of a composite when exposed in a specific tribosystem. The theoretical considerations are compared with experimental results obtained from aluminium matrix composites containing silicon carbide particulate reinforcements. The wear resistance and friction of the composites have been measured for several abrasive counterfaces and loads, and mode coefficients have been calculated in order to interpret the experimental results.MST/3408