AbstractExperiments were carried out on a wear test machine utilising a gearcam adapter to simulate line‐contact lubrication. Due to the formation of a surface adsorption layer on the steel substrate, the tribological performance was detected by measuring the voltage for a lubricant with various additive concentrations. The roller wear rate was found to be strongly dependent upon both the rising rate of voltage in the wear process and the time period needed to create a positive voltage. The antiwear effect of differing additive concentrations was evaluated using the measurements of voltage for various operating conditions. An increase in rotational speed, with a lubricating oil with a low additive concentration, decreases the wear rate. A lubricating oil with a high additive concentration does little to decrease the wear rate at low rotational speed