nCATS Newsletter by University of Southampton

Edition 7

nCATS Newsletter Tribology is the essential science of friction, lubrication and wear. The national Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS) brings together experienced academics who work on everything from marine engines and renewable energy to biofilms and skincare products. The centre includes research into tribology, corrosion, surface engineering and condition monitoring and connects with over 150 companies nationally and globally. This newsletter will bring you up to date with our latest research and introduce you to our recently launched MSc in Advanced Tribology. Professor Robert Wood, nCATS Director Defeating dental plaque biofilms | page 3 Seeking alternatives to toxic chemicals | page 4 Promoting innovation in marine engineering | page 6

Fast track to a career in specialist engineering A new master’s degree in Engineering at the University of Southampton will give graduates the skills to succeed in the challenging field of tribology – the science of friction, lubrication and wear. The new postgraduate MSc in Advanced Tribology (starting October 2012) will be taught by specialists from the UK’s national Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS). It is estimated that around four per cent of the UK’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is wasted by poor management of friction, lubrication and wear. This affects many sectors of the economy including manufacturing, transport, energy and the biomedical sciences. Multidisciplinary research is underway at Southampton into all aspects of the subject and academics have built strong links with industry.

Graduates with a sound knowledge of tribology are sought by many companies and organisations in the UK and overseas. David Dixon, Head of Surface Technology at Airbus says: “We regard the MSc Advanced Tribology as a valuable addition to the education and training of engineers.” Students, who already possess a good undergraduate degree in Engineering, Physical Sciences and a related subject, will study compulsory and optional modules across the range from surface engineering and lubrication to Nano and Biotribology and computational fluid dynamics. They will also undertake a four month full time research project. For more information please visit: www.southampton.ac.uk/tribologymsc

“We regard the MSc Advanced Tribology as a valuable addition to the education and training of engineers.” David Dixon, Head of Surface Technology at Airbus

Linking tribologists in UK and China

Talking tribology on the BBC

Specialists in tribology from both the UK and China came together to discuss latest developments in the fourth of nCATS longstanding collaborations with colleagues in China.

Southampton’s tribologists have been explaining more about the science of friction, lubrication and wear on BBC radio. Reporter Laura Ancell interviewed Dr Julian Wharton and PhD student Martin Evans about their work for the Alex Dyke programme on BBC Radio Solent.

The event at Chilworth Manor included keynote speeches and discussions on tribo-corrosion, lubrication, bio-tribology and modelling.

Visit www.southampton.ac.uk/engineering/news/2012/03/28_ fast_track_to_a_career_in_specialist_engineering.page to listen to the interview

nCATS Newsletter | Edition 7 2012

Amir Rmaile using a typodont training model for measuring the removal of dental plaque biofilm from between the teeth by high velocity water drops generated by the Sonicare AirFloss.

Defeating dental plaque biofilms Postgraduate researcher Dr Amir Rmaile has been telling MPs about his work at the National Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS). He was one of 55 students shortlisted from hundreds of applicants from all UK universities to display posters about biosciences at the House of Commons as part of the SET for Britain initiative. Amir, a practicing dentist, who has a Philips Oral Healthcare PhD studentship and works with Dr Paul Stoodley, is conducting cross disciplinary research on ways to help people clean their teeth more effectively by getting rid of hard-to-remove dental plaque biofilms, which cause tooth decay and gum diseases. He has used a high speed camera to record what happens when a micro drop of water travelling at up to 60 metres per second hits a simulated biofilm plaque in the space between teeth. Computational fluid dynamics is being used to design more effective ways of removing dental plaque. Amir has shown impressive initiative in developing his line of research in which he incorporates engineering and microbiology concepts from a clinicians perspective.

“These early career scientists are the architects of our future and SET for Britain is politicians’ best opportunity to meet them and understand their work.” Andrew Miller MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee

Andrew Miller MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee, comments, “This annual competition is an important date in the parliamentary calendar because it gives MPs an opportunity to speak to a wide range of the country’s best young researchers.

nCATS Newsletter | Edition 7 2012

Defeating the bugs Lecturer in microbial tribology at nCATS, Dr Paul Stoodley is organising a major international conference on biofilms with the American Society of Microbiology this autumn. Among the key issues to be discussed in Miami will be how to deal with the massive problem of chronic infections caused by unseen biofilms in healthcare settings. “Medical devices such as catheters frequently cause serious infections in patients, we need new ways of removing the bacteria living in biofilms that cling to these surfaces,” he says. Academics will also debate how to better diagnose biofilm infections and discuss progress on developing new non-toxic surfaces that repel bacteria.

Young researchers present their work More than 35 of the UK’s leading tribology research students met at Southampton for the 2012 Tribo UK two day conference. This year, all of the delegates were asked to make a presentation or display a poster about their work. “We believe this added a lot to the event as it enabled everyone to contribute, no matter what stage of their PhD they had reached,” says Martin Evans who organised the event along with fellow Southampton students Daniel Sutton and Mostafa Soleimani. Vlad Niste from nCATS was one of the winners of the prize for the best oral presentation. Rolls-Royce, Plint Tribology, PSC Instruments, Mantis Deposition and CSM Instruments sponsored the conference.

Seeking alternatives to toxic chemicals Specialists in tribology at the University of Southampton are involved in research to find alternatives to industrial coatings using toxic chemicals such as chrome, which are about to be outlawed by new European Union legislation. At present, these materials are commonly used in industry. Dr Tomas Polcar from the national Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS) led discussions with around 80 senior engineers from 50 leading manufacturers and their suppliers at the first meeting of the ‘Coatings Club’ at the Hilton, Southampton. “These coatings are vital across the aerospace industry,” he says. “They reduce friction, protect against corrosion and help guarantee safety. Effective alternatives must be developed within the next few years.” Virtually every product from aero engines to razor blades uses a treated surface in some form or other to achieve functional properties not present in the base material. This is frequently called ‘surface engineering’. Much research is already underway at the University of Southampton into surface engineering but there is scope for more collaboration with companies that will be directly affected by the ban. Funding is available for joint research in this field.

Dr Bryan Alcock, Group Managing Director at Monitor Coatings Ltd in the North East of England spoke at the event. “Engineers at the University of Southampton have a real affinity with the aerospace industry, their knowledge and expertise is very well respected and their facilities are excellent. We need to work together to find solutions,” he says. The event was organised by nCATS and the Knowledge Transfer Network, part of the UK’s Technology Strategy Board This will require binding through a molecular bridge and study of the effective concentration of the bound active compounds. The new surface coating technology will aim to minimize the surface roughness and help to improve hydrodynamic properties of hulls, which in turn will make them more efficient.

Helping bones to grow Italian chemist Fabrizio Baroncini is studying at Southampton as part of his master’s degree at the Sapienza University of Rome. He is at the national Centre for Advanced Tribology at Southampton (nCATS) for his project to explore new ways of using polymers as ‘scaffolds’ in dental and orthopaedic work. The ‘scaffolds’ support patients own damaged bone tissues and help them to grow and repair themselves. However, these structures are prone to infection which is very difficult to treat with conventional antibiotics as microbes live in biofilms on the surface of the ‘scaffolds’. Fabrizio aims to develop new polymers that are resistant to infection. He is enjoying living and working in Southampton. “Studying here is a great opportunity to work in a different scientific environment with people from all over the world. I’m lucky to be here because the University of Southampton is considered one of the best universities in the UK”.

nCATS Newsletter | Edition 7 2012

A revolution in cleaning technology Researchers in Tribology are testing the ability of a revolutionary ultrasonic device to remove bacteria from surfaces. The new technology, developed at the University of Southampton, has already been shown to enhance the ability of water to clean dirt and other contaminants from a range of surfaces. The device, based on an ultrasonic nozzle which can fit on the end of a tap or hose, received the 2011 Royal Society Brian Mercer Prize for Innovation. Currently, industry uses large amounts of water, power and additives for cleaning. For example, it can take up to 100 tonnes of water to produce 1 tonne of clean wool after shearing. Many industrial cleaning processes also generate large quantities of contaminated run-off, which is costly to treat.

The nozzle generates both bubbles and ultrasound. They travel down the water stream to the dirty surface where the bubbles act as microscopic ‘smart scrubbers’, seeking and entering crevices to remove dirt using shear forces in the same way that currents in a babbling brook can strip off riverbank soil.

Inventors Professor Tim Leighton (ISVR) and Dr Peter Birkin (Chemistry) have developed an ultrasonic nozzle which works with cold water, minimal additives and consumes as much electrical power as a light bulb. It consumes less water and power than existing technologies and can be used in many applications including cleaning in food preparation, hospitals, manufacturing and the home.

Using a £250,000 award from the Royal Society, the Southampton team is working with a range of industries to develop products. They are also producing prototypes for testing by other teams in the University such as Dr Paul Stoodley (nCATS) for dental applications. Professor Richard Oreffo (Medicine) for use in hip replacement surgery/medical applications and Professor Bill Keevil (Centre for Biological Sciences) for microbial decontamination of surgical instruments.

Professor Leighton and Dr Birkin demonstrating their invention

nCATS Newsletter | Edition 7 2012

Marine and maritime research Tribologists at Southampton will play a major role at the University of Southampton’s new Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI). It is the result of a ground breaking collaboration between the University and Lloyd’s Register and is set to become a world-leading centre for innovation, business and education. SMMI will provide a focal point for industries, businesses, universities and organisations around the world to conduct leading-edge research on a collaborative basis. By crossing the traditional boundaries between the disciplines, research at SMMI will address some of the most important global challenges in climate change, transport, energy and the environment.

At the cutting edge Many of the world’s leading scientists and engineers who are interested in tribology were at the University of Southampton for the 2012 Faraday Discussion. Themes for this top level forum, organised by the Royal Society for Chemistry, included future lubricated systems, smart tribological surfaces, predictive modelling and biotribology. Over the last 10 years there have been enormous advances in experimental techniques to study interfaces at the molecular scale, such as in situ spectroscopies, various scanning probe techniques and applications of synchotron radiation to further studies of the chemical modification of surfaces, and in theoretical and computational approaches to modelling interfaces on the molecular scale. The aim of this Discussion was to bring together advances in these diverse aspects, all of which bear directly on tribology, by providing a forum for lively debate between chemists, physicists, theoreticians, engineers and biomedical researchers.

Promoting innovation in marine engineering Kittiwake Developments, a marine company with interests in lubrication, has been working with the University of Southampton’s tribologists and chemists to develop a new sensor system. The high levels of sulphur in heavy fuel oils require special cylinder oils to be sprayed onto the cylinder walls. The high-levels of detergents in these oils are used to neutralise the sulphurous acidic combustion products, this minimises corrosion (and corrosion-enhanced wear, known as tribocorrosion). Ideally, just enough oil is used in the process to avoid tribocorrosion. But operators generally err on the generous side to minimise wear.

Kittiwake worked with Dr Terry Harvey from nCATS and Professor Andrea Russell in Chemistry in a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) to investigate the feasibility of developing a sensor that could determine the detergent levels in the waste (scrapedown) oil from large marine two-stroke heavy diesel engines. Knowing how much oil to use for best results uses less energy and raw materials and reduces waste.

There is clearly potential to save thousands of pounds by making accurate measurements of detergent levels and reducing the amount of oil used.

KTPs are run across the UK by the Technology Strategy Board to help businesses to improve their competitiveness by working with researchers in higher education.

nCATS Newsletter | Edition 7 2012

PhD students Martin Evans and Robert Hanzal are researching multiple sensing technologies to prevent wind turbine gearbox bearing failure.

Spreading the word about tribology Undergraduates and postgraduates studying a wide range of academic subjects across the University of Southampton discovered the importance of tribology in the UK economy at a special evening. They may not have heard the word before, but left with a comprehensive knowledge of its role in industry and commerce. PhD students of tribology Martin Evans and Mostafa Soleimani organised the public event with the Students’ Union Investment and Finance Society and the UK Tribology Network (UKTN)*. The first recorded example of tribology dates back to 1880BC when workers in Egypt, shifting the giant statue of Tehuti-Hetep, lubricated the runners it was being pulled over. Now, the science of ‘rubbing’ and surface engineering to control rubbing is integral to much of everyday life, spanning applications throughout energy, manufacturing, transport and even biotechnology.

This was the first outreach event this year run by UKTN. ‘Tribology in the supermarket’ this summer will bring together members of the public, supermarkets, delivery supply chains and automotive companies to promote the benefits of tribology best practice. *Professor Robert Wood, Director of nCATS chairs the UKTN. It is a national collaboration to increase awareness and understanding of tribology and involves the Royal Society of Chemistry, Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Institute of Engineering and Technology, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and the Institute of Physics.

Speakers nCATS Director Professor Robert Wood and Dr Ian Taylor from Shell outlined how many areas of everyday life are affected by lubrication, friction and wear. It is estimated that around four per cent of UK GDP is wasted by ineffective tribology management.

See the UKTN’s LinkedIn group www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=4292024

The evening also included a competition to test students’ understanding of tribology and its potential to increase efficiency in many areas. A team from several academic disciplines won the hardfought contest and claimed the £200 prize. Economics undergraduate Farnoush Galshirazi was its spokesperson. “If you’re planning a career in investment, you need to know about the importance of tribology,” she says. “If you get the technology right, you can save energy and money and produce more goods.”

“If you’re planning a career in investment, you need to know about the importance of tribology.” Farnoush Galshirazi, Economics undergraduate

nCATS Newsletter | Edition 7 2012