Probing Friction-Wear Coupling Across Scales: Molecular Dynamics Insights from K/μ

Abstract At engineering scales, Amontons–Coulomb friction (with coefficient of friction μ ) and Archard wear (with wear coefficient K ) can be treated as coupled under standard assumptions. Whether this coupling survives downscaling, however, remains unclear. We develop a composite diagnostic, K / μ , that algebraically links Archard’s and Amontons–Coulomb’s forms through K / μ ≈ VH / W , where V is wear volume, W is the work of friction, and H is hardness. The construct removes explicit normal-