Tribology matters

Tribology touches every aspect of our day to day existence and the wonder of this is that we are completely unaware how central it is to how we function. Take a snapshot of thebeginning of a normal working day for example. A typical morning start will involve brushing one's teeth with toothpaste containing mild abrasive (with a toothbrush with an optimized design for brushing efficiency), using a shampoo and conditioner which have been tested for frictional properties on a wide range of hair types, and for those who have the traditional morning fry up - lubricating the pan in advance with cooking oil to provide a boundary layer between the food and the pan and to reduce adhesion and heat transfer. It is clear that tribology plays a major role in our everyday lives. Whether starting out for work by foot, bicycle or car, friction will define whether our shoes or tyres can grip the road surface and whether the brake or clutch will do their job. If it is raining, the speed limit is modified in some countries, testifying to the influence of tribologists in decision making in the transport industries

Results of a UK industrial tribological survey

During the summer of 2012, the National Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS) undertook a UK-wide industrial tribological survey in order to assess the explicit need for tribological testing within the UK. The survey was designed and implemented by a summer intern student, Mr Simon King, under the supervision of Drs John Walker and Terry Harvey and supported by the director of nCATS, Professor Robert Wood. The survey built upon on two previous tribological surveys conducted through the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) during the 1990’s. The aim was to capture a snapshot of the current use of tribological testing within UK industry and its perceived reliability in terms of the test data generated. The survey also invited participants to speculate about how UK tribology could improve its approach to testing. The survey was distributed through the nCATS industrial contact list, which comprises of over 400 contacts from a broad spectrum of commercial industries. The Institute of Physics (IOP) tribology group also assisted by distributing the survey to its membership list. A total of 60 responses were received for the survey, out of which 39 had fully completed the questionnaire. Participants came from a broad spread of industrial backgrounds, with the energy sector having the highest representation. Only 40% of respondents were dedicated tribologists/surface engineers, again reflecting the multi-disciplinary nature of the field. It was found that the companies that had the highest annual turnover also appeared to expend the most on tribology. The majority of respondents indicated that as a percentage of turnover tribology accounted for less than 1%, however the lack of hard figures only for tribology make this a conservative estimate. The greatest concern in relation to tribology of those who responded was the cost; however the influence of legislation and product reliability were also driving factors. Abrasive wear was still considered the number one tribological wear mechanism, with sliding contacts ranking as the most common type of wear interface. Metallic and hard coated surfaces were the most commonly encountered type of material suffering from tribological wear phenomena. Laboratory scale testing was a significant part of introducing a new tribological component, however component specific testing was considered the most reliable form of testing a new component over standardised test geometries. Overall there appeared to be much potential for improving the reliability of tribological test data, with most respondents indicating that simply more testing was not the best perceived approach to improving tribological data but rather more reliable, representative tests with improved knowledge capture. Most companies possessed an internal database to assist them with tribological information; however, many also expressed a strong desire for the use of a commercial or national database, although the format this might take was less clear. Opinions appeared split as to whether there would be a collective willingness to contribute to a centralised database, presumably on the grounds on the sensitivity of data

Lubricant degradation, transport and the effect of extended oil drain intervals on piston assembly tribology

There are ever increasing demands on lubricant manufacturers to meet governmental legislation and customer needs by improving fuel economy, engine durability and exhaust system compatibility as shown by the introduction of GF4 and move towards GF5 specification oils. This has created an ever increasing need to understand how oil degrades in an engine and how this degraded oil affects piston assembly tribology. This review conference paper will give an overview of a collaborative project that has been undertaken to further enhance the understanding of how lubricant degrades in an operating engine, its transport through the engine and effect upon piston assembly tribology

Tribological investigations of the piston assembly and liner of a gasoline engine

The automotive industry is being forced towards greater efficiency, increased engine power from smaller engines and lower environmental impact by both governmental legislation and public opinion. Oil drain intervals are increasing whilst emissions legislation limit the use of current wear protection and antioxidant additives containing elements such as phosphorus and sulphur. To address these demands and challenges an increased understanding of the link between lubricant degradation, its transport and residence time, and the effect on piston assembly tribology is required. The aim of the work reported in this paper was to further develop the understanding of the effect degraded lubricants have on piston assembly tribology. The small oil volumes and environmental conditions in the piston assembly make the affective lubrication and protection of components in this region one of the most challenging areas of tribology. This was carried out through an extensive experimental programme using a research engine, tribometer testing and chemical and rheological analysis of lubricant samples

Rolling element bearings in space

Some of the advances in tribology that have been associated with aerospace mechanisms are discussed. The needs of aerospace have been the dominant forces leading to improvements in understanding and applying tribology technology. In the past two decades improvements in understanding bearing torque, elastohydrodynamic lubrication, lubricant distribution, cage stability, and transfer film lubricants have been made. It is anticipated that further developments will be made in response to future aerospace requirements

Lubrication of space systems: Challenges and potential solutions

Future space missions will all require advanced mechanical moving components which will require wear protection and lubrication. The tribology practices used today are primarily based upon a technology base that is more than 20 years old. This paper will discuss NASA's future space missions and some of the mechanism tribology challenges that will be encountered. Potential solutions to these challenges using coatings technology will be assessed

A STUDY ON DEVELOPMENT OF INDUSTRIAL TRIBOLOGY IN INDIA WITH SOME FUTURE PROSPECTS

The Indian industry is facing tough challenges from various others countries in different areas. Environmental challenges, government pressure to improve efficiencies, urgent technological advancement requirement, emission cut from tribological and lubricating systems. A brief review of industrial development in India is outlined in this paper. I will also discuss about fields of tribology like Engine Tribology, Green Tribology, Transmission Tribology and Tire Tribology with some suggestions. Role of education in tribology to makes a balance between technology and environment. At lasts a review on future trends in industrial tribology

Tribology in Malaysia: General perspective

Tribology was first coined in 1966 as documented in ‘Jost Report’. The word ‘tribology’ has since gained a common usage for matters related to friction, wear, and lubrication in machine in-teractions. Since tribology is an engineering issue that goes beyond national boundaries, many tribology societies have emerged across the continents partly motivated by the pursuit for green-er world via waste reduction. The move for improved tribology practices in industry has reached Malaysia and in 2007, Malaysian Tribology Society (MYTRIBOS) was established by local tribol-ogists [1]. MYTRIBOS is responsible to promote proper practices in research and development related to the field of tribology in Malaysia and to facilitate collaborations between academia and industry in all possible endeavors. MYTRIBOS eventual vision and mission is to help reduce en-ergy consumption by making machineries more energy efficient in order to reduce greenhouse gas emission. MYTRIBOS is contributing towards the improvement of the environment and to achieve a better quality of life and more sustainable world by creating awareness of the impor-tance of practicing proper tribology