How is surface growth controlled?
Let us examine a part under a microscope. Even the smoothest surface, at high magnification, looks uneven and represents a continuous series of peaks and valleys. In time, wear attacks weaken locations to dislodge and wash out metal atoms, turning them into chips and making the grooves deeper. 100 % wear out occurs not when the part disintegrates into dust, as some think, but when the peaks start to abrade. As long as these peaks-indicators, which remember the initial size of the part, exist, the part can be restored by revitalization. However, the part will never gain in size more than required. As soon as the valley and peak become equal, the energy conditions required for revitalising disappear, and the system becomes stabilized. As soon as the surface signals the appearance of a zone of abnormal surface activity (wear), the building material left over unused will immediately start reacting.
