Morphometric assessment of surface conformation as an estimate of roughness

One of the standard methods for assessing the roughness of a material subjected to wear uses the surface arithmetic means and root-mean-square deviation. However, these parameters often do not provide a qualitative assessment of the difference in materials worn under the same conditions of load and elapsed time. The profile and surface roughness parameters are frequently inconsistent. Such measurements are also required to determine the wear characteristics of various materials under different conditions. A morphometric assessment of wear characteristics, based on the surface area fraction of localized deviations in the surface texture and stress fractures, is provided, and clearly indicates the observed difference.