Mechanics of fretting fatigue—Oxford's contribution

•A detailed history of early studies of fretting fatigue is given.•The major advances in a systematic study of the subject, splitting the problem into fretting damage, crack nucleation and subsequent propagation are described.•Several methods of quantifying the nucleation phase, representing our current understanding, are given.

This article presents an historical review of studies of the mechanics of fretting fatigue, concentrating on those carried out at the University of Oxford. It includes, particularly, the seminal initial studies conducted under the direction of Prof J.J.O’Connor in the early 1970s, and brings the picture up to date. It concludes with some consideration of what the next stage of challenges facing fundamental studies are.