Tribology

Tribology (Greek: tribology ) deals with the scientific description of friction, wear and lubrication as well as the development of technologies for the optimization of friction processes, which are also known as " interacting surfaces in relative motion " or " tribological system ". Tribology is interdisciplinary operated by mechanical engineers, materials scientists, physicists and chemists. The most well-known computational size of tribology is the coefficient of friction.

Tasks

Tribology investigated eg friction, lubrication and wear of bearings, guides, gears, motors and other machine elements. In addition to the development of suitable lubricants are issues of material selection, surface coating and the surface topography at the forefront of current developments. In addition to the mechanical engineering issues, there are numerous other areas where friction and wear are of great importance, such as endoprostheses.

Organizations that deal with tribology are, in Germany the non-profit Society for Tribology ( international symposium friction, lubrication and wear), in Austria, the Austrian Tribology Society and in Switzerland, the Swiss Tribology. Common trade organ is the journal Tribology and Lubrication Technology (T S), which appears in Vol 59 in the expert verlag, 2012.

Importance

The intensified consideration of tribological knowledge results in substantial savings in energy and material use, production and maintenance. Energy and raw material resources are saved, environmental damage is avoided and improved occupational health and safety.

Term

The term was used from about 1966 in England as a technical term:

  • After Peter Jost (1966 ): " Tribology is the science and technology of interacting, located in relative motion surfaces and the related practical operations. "
  • According to DIN 50323 ( standard has been withdrawn ), " Tribology is the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It covers the entire field of friction and wear, including lubrication, and includes appropriate interfacial interactions between solids and between solids and liquids or gases. "
  • After Horst Czichos (1992 ): " Tribology is an interdisciplinary field to optimize mechanical technologies by reducing friction and wear -related energy and material losses. "

Nanotribology under investigation of the friction is to be understood in the nanometer range. In this case, either special friction effects in micro- and nanotechnology ( atomic force microscopes, HDD heads, etc.) or the study of friction at the atomic level to research.

Important personalities

  • Leonardo da Vinci
  • Guillaume Amontons set on the two Amontonsschen laws: The frictional force is proportional to the normal force and independent of the apparent area of ​​contact; da Vinci they were already known for about 200 years earlier.
  • Charles Augustin de Coulomb
  • Richard Stribeck discovered named after him Stribeck curve that describes the coefficient of friction in lubricated bearings.
  • Frank Philip Bowden and David Tabor wrote in 1950 the first "modern " book on tribology.
  • Horst Czichos
Chemistry Hip replacement Heinrich Hertz Contact (mechanics)
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