Du frottement à la tribologie : survol historique.

The article proposes a short history of the research on friction. For every period, the most important themes and results are outlined: the early laws and theories on friction from Leonardo to Amontons and Coulomb; the theory of lubrication and the models of rolling friction, from 1840 to 1930; the theories of wear, the synthesis of Bowden and Tabor and the birth of tribology; the recent developments, with the new scientific instruments and the study of friction at the atomic scale, the nanotribology. Some didactic reflections introduce and conclude the article.