Industrial Engineer with focus on Tribology and Sealing Technology. Team player with an open-minded mentality author of several scientific publications and an industrial patent. Interested in Lean Management, Innovation, Circular Economy, Additive Manufacturing and Connected Objects Technology.
The Open Innovation Test Bed for Tribology
Since February 2023 an Open Innovation Test Bed (OITB) dedicated to Tribology and Material Characterization is open for work, i-TRIBOMAT: The European Tribology Centre.
Figure 1. i-TRIBOMAT: The European Tribology Centre.
Ever-growing customer demands lead to tougher material requirements. New high-performing materials and surface treatments become available every week with properties which were thought impossible. However, replacing the material of a machine component comes at a risk. In fact, even when the material properties look ideal in the catalogue, it is difficult to predict the actual component’s performance in the field. This becomes even harder when predicting system properties such as friction, leakage, and wear.
“Open Innovation Test Beds (OITB) are entities offering access to physical facilities, capabilities and services required for the development of materials in industrial environments.”
Five leading European tribology testing centers have joint forces under i-TRIBOMAT: The European Tribology Centre. Their shared infrastructure consists of more than 130 tribometers and material characterization setups. i-TRIBOMAT is the world’s largest platform for tribological testing and characterization of materials.
The European Tribology Centre (ETC) offers,
- Experimental testing services
- Data-driven services (e.g., Database)
- Modelling & Simulations
- Consultancy: Outsource your tribology R&D!
Additionally, the OITB developed the Tribology Universe. After registering for free, one has access to several tribology online calculators. Among them,
- Hertzian Pressure
- Journal Bearing
- Titling Pad Thrust Bearing
- Lubricant Rheology
- Spiral Groove Bearing
Figure 2. The Tribology Universe (www.i-tribomat.eu)
Ultimately, the OTIB manages the first open database dedicated to storing tribology datasets has been launched, i.e., the European Tribology Centre database.
Figure 3. The Tribology Universe (www.i-tribomat.eu)
The European Tribology Centre started in January 2024 the SiToLub project, a project focsing on the development of computational models for lubricating oils and greases focusing on
- Elimination of PFAS
- Elimination of Chlorinated paraffins
- Elimination of Li-soaps
The models developed together with the experimental datasets will progressively be made available via the Tribology Universe.
Get in touch via [email protected].
