Fretting fatigue damages of steel wires in coal mine in three corrosive media were quantitatively analyzed in the present study. Theoretical models of wear coefficient, energy dissipated by friction and fretting fatigue life prediction were established to quantitatively analyze roles of corrosive media on anti-wear properties, dissipated energy and fretting fatigue lives of steel wires, respectively. The results show that an increase of pH value of the corrosive media induces better anti-wear property of the steel wire, an increase at first and then a decrease in the average value of the stabilized dissipated energy, and larger fretting fatigue life of the steel wire. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.