Friction and wear are key tribological processes with critical implications across various engineering applications. While extensive research has been conducted under standard environmental and operational conditions, modern technology is pushing the limits of materials and systems into increasingly atypical or extreme environments. These include high temperatures, vacuum, cryogenic settings, corrosive media, high radiation, and conditions involving non-conventional lubricants or material pairings. Understanding how friction and wear behave in such settings is vital for developing reliable, high-performance components in aerospace, energy, biomedical, and manufacturing industries.

This Research Topic aims to address the scientific and engineering challenges related to friction and wear behaviour under atypical or extreme conditions. The goal is to provide a comprehensive collection of high-quality research that advances our understanding of tribological mechanisms and fosters the development of novel materials, surface treatments, and lubrication strategies tailored for such environments. We seek to identify critical gaps in current knowledge and showcase innovative experimental, modelling, and computational approaches that contribute to improved durability and performance of mechanical systems exposed to non-standard operational stresses. By bringing together researchers from diverse disciplines and industries, this collection will offer a holistic view of current advances and emerging trends in extreme-condition tribology.

Topics addressed in this Research Topic may include, but are not limited to:

* Friction and wear behaviour in high-temperature or cryogenic environments;
* Tribology in vacuum, radiation, or corrosive settings;
* Novel materials and coatings designed for atypical conditions;
* Micro/nanoscale tribology;
* Multiscale modelling and simulation of tribological phenomena;
* Solid and liquid lubrication mechanisms;
* Experimental approaches for studying friction/wear under unique conditions

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Friction and Wear in Atypical Conditions: Mechanisms, Materials, Modelling and Experimental Approaches