Ice and frost formation on surfaces afflicts various energy and transportation industries worldwide, causing economic losses in billions of dollars annually. Most techniques to prevent frost and ice formation on surfaces rely heavily on heating […]
Since the 1800s, railway organizations have been struggling with low adhesion on the rail, especially during the Autumn season also known as the “slippery track season”. In Autumn, leaves fall on the rails and when […]
Tribology is the science of interacting surfaces in relative motion. Basically, it studies friction, wear and lubrication – three phenomena linked to surface degradation and, thus, to machine reliability and performance. When machines wear out, […]
Lubricity measures the reduction in mechanical friction and wear by a lubricant. These are the main causes of component failure and energy loss in mechanical and electromechanical systems. For example, one-third of the fuel-based energy […]
Experiments show that the friction between two surfaces depends on their history of contact and that this “memory” is reminiscent of the behavior of glasses. Contrary to what you may have learned in high school, […]
Biological materials have complex mechanical properties that are difficult to reproduce using synthetic materials. An international team of researchers, including Dr. Andrey Dobrynin, a professor in The University of Akron’s College of Polymer Science and […]
Despite the numerous advances in solar cells, one thing remains constant: cloudy, rainy conditions put a damper on the amount of electricity created. Now researchers reporting in the journal ACS Nano have developed hybrid solar […]
In dry sliding between a given pair of materials under steady conditions, the coefficient of friction may be almost constant. This is the basis for two EMPIRICAL Laws of Sliding Friction, which are often known […]
The Handbook on Contact Mechanics (Handbuch der Kontaktmechanik) co-authored by Honorary Professor of Tomsk Polytechnic University, head of the Department of System Dynamics and Friction Physics at Technical University Berlin, Valentin Popov, a TPU alumnus […]
Trying to slice a tomato into thin slices with a dull knife can get a little scary. The harder the knife must be pressed downward before the skin is broken is directly related to the […]
