The objective of Dr. M. J. Furey's study of biotribology is to explore the relationship between tribology and the lubrication of synovial joints. This portion of the ongoing collaborative study on biological lubrication and wear focused on a system of sliding contact between cartilage and stainless steel. Wear tests were performed using both synovial fluid and buffered saline solution as lubricants. The average coefficient of friction for cartilage-on-stainless steel tests using synovial fluid was found to increase from 0.2 to 0.35 over the duration of one three-hour experiment. When buffered saline solution was used in similar tests, the coefficient of friction ranged from 0.2 to 0.38. FTIR analysis revealed that synovial fluid remains chemically unchanged during a three-hour wear test. Worn cartilage, however, exhibited significantly different absorbance peaks than those found in fresh cartilage; this difference may indicate a chemical change caused by sliding contact. Biochemical tests for wear measurement are still in progress.