9522010 Sadeghi Failure of lubricated tribological contacts is in most cases caused by debris in the lubricant. This study will develop analytical and experimental techniques to calculate and measure the effects of debris on performance parameters such as pressure, temperature, film thickness, and stress distribution in the solid surfaces. The stress calculations will be used to model crack propagation in fatigue spall development leading to mechanical failure. A multi-purpose tribotester will be used to obtain experimental data to validate the model from tests with lubricants that contain various concentrations and sizes of debris. ***
