For the wear behavior of any materials the following mechanisms should be identify: abrasion, oxidation, delamination, adhesion, and thermal softening and melting. These wear mechanism can be identified by performing SEM.

1. Abrasion Wear: This is due to the worn surface filled with grooves which are parallel to sliding direction.

2. Adhesion: Adhesion wear occur due to formation of pits, shallows, cracks formed on the worn surface with increased friction.

3. Delamination: this is related to fatigue related wear mechanism.

Apart from this you have find which wear is dominant when sliding speed, load changes and specimen material.

For the wear behavior of any materials the following mechanisms should be identify: abrasion, oxidation, delamination, adhesion, and thermal softening and melting. These wear mechanism can be identified by performing SEM.

1. Abrasion Wear: This is due to the worn surface filled with grooves which are parallel to sliding direction.

2. Adhesion: Adhesion wear occur due to formation of pits, shallows, cracks formed on the worn surface with increased friction.

3. Delamination: this is related to fatigue related wear mechanism.

Apart from this you have find which wear is dominant when sliding speed, load changes and specimen material.

I do not know what type of SEM you are using. But most of them now can identify all type of wear. you can even take an EDS and check the wear debris or wear products. I think the best way is to look at adhesive wear first and check the pulling out of surfaces like small peeling, then check the wear debris coming from the abrasive wear. All in all will contribute to the notion if you have wear contact or not.

You can intrepret the presense of debris the worm surface. the width. the mecanisùs of existing wear i.e Adhesion, Abrasion delamination, Oxidation etc. you can also take an EDS and check the wear debris nature and cmposition.