9703356 Lauersen A CAREER award supports a study of contact friction. Key issues emphasized include development of energetically consistent numerical algorithms for transient friction processes, development of an integrated thermodynamic and computational approach to the treatments of thermal coupling at the interface and of rate effects, friction anisotropy and lubrication and wear. The results will be compared with data obtained from the automotive industry on the thermal behavior of brakes and the dynamic behavior of tires on rough roads. The educational aspects of the award include undergraduate student-assisted development of electronic textbooks for basic solid and fluid mechanics courses. ***
