Plastic deformation of tribologically stressed materials occurs in different steps: generation of dislocations, formation of small-angle grain boundaries and recrystallization. In order to predict the lifetime of metallic wear components such as bearings in wind turbine facilities, it is crucial to understand how microstructural changes appear in near-surface zones of materials and how they influence wear. Microstructural damage evolution in metals can be described by electron backscatter diffraction for example. High resolution TEM measurements of specific material regions can even provide detailed information of the atomic structure of the sample. The crucial aspect of the project approach is the suitable combination of the different techniques as an innovative method to study the mechanisms leading to near-surface damage and their influence on wear, especially in industrially relevant materials. Another challenge is to find parameters that quantitatively define the amount of damage introduced into the tribomaterial. Such parameters shall be able to describe damage evolution and relate it to relevant material and process parameters, providing a fundamental understanding and serving as a basis for quantitative empirical wear models.