The book contains papers from the twelfth in a series of biennial conferences, first held in 1993, on the topics of contact mechanics and surface effects and their interaction.

In general, structural components fail by wear, corrosion and fatigue, that is to say affected and initiated by surface conditions. Consequently, it is often appropriate to modify the surface layer of a base material or coat it, so as to provide an enhanced performance or longer life. However, in many cases it is the combined effect of wear and corrosion that is damaging, contributing to complexity in determining the proper approach. The surface treatment chosen should be suitably related to the problem to be solved. The necessary thickness of the coating depends largely on the applied loading and environmental conditions.

The papers in the book address novel protective layers for advances in sliding wear and low friction. The contents cover topics such as: Experimental and Measurement Tests; Surface Modification; Surface Problems in Contact Mechanics; Thick and Thin Coatings; Tribomechanics; Computer Simulation.