In brief Preventing wear and tear All instrumentation, machinery and equipment with moving parts are susceptible to wear and tear arising from surface interactions such as friction. Tribology – the science of friction, lubrication and wear – encompasses materials science, lubrication, corrosion, coatings, nanotechnology and bioengineering. Engineers and scientists at Southampton are pioneering green tribology that aims to research aspects of tribology systems which are important for energy conservation and conversion, quality of life and environmental sustainability. Director of the national Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS),
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Professor Robert Wood and his team, are investigating the tribological aspects of multifunctional and resource-responsible surfaces (ie reducing the need for rare earth metal additions in tribological coatings), green lubricants, carbon footprint, emissions, total loss systems and biomimetics. Wear and erosion adversely affects biomedical implants, engines, aircraft skins, ship hulls and conventional and nuclear power plants to name a few, but the techniques used to protect equipment can be harmful to the environment. Therefore the team at nCATS is looking at green alternatives.
Engineering and the Environment New Boundaries | University of Southampton
“Our research seeks innovative multidisciplinary approaches to reduce wear and friction using surface engineering inspired by nature, green chemistry for manufacturing and new lubricants for wind turbines,” says Robert. nCATS performs around £125,000 of consultancy work per year delivering real solutions to industrial problems and has won over £6m in research contracts linked to UK and overseas companies. Funders: EPSRC, University of Southampton and industry sponsors