Abstract. In this paper we show a contribution to the study of the complex phenomenon of wear through the results obtained by rubbing together PTFE and steal. The wear system designed (pin on a disc) is equipped with strain gages that allow to measure simultaneously the normal and the tangential forces. Different tests have been used to validate the apparatus. The effect of various parameters such as the speed and the load has been investigated. The results obtained for the evolution of the coefficient of friction versus load and speed are in good agreement with the literature.