Friction and wear tests of Si3N4 against cast iron were carried out using a ring-on-block tester lubricated by emulsion. To provide a comparison with emulsion, distilled water was also used as a lubricant in the tests. The results show that emulsion can prevent the formation of an SiO2·2H2O film on the iron surface. Although the friction coefficient of Si3N4/iron pairs in emulsion is much greater than in distilled water, the wear of Si3N4 in emulsion is less.