The internet is full of videos of people having fun running over white slime. It almost looks as if they were walking on water. But when they stand still, they slowly begin to sink. The […]
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 […]
Research sheds light on friction, lubrication and wear in cartilage 11:25 a.m., Aug. 24, 2015–Osteoarthritis, which affects some 27 million people in the U.S. alone, occurs when the protective cartilage on the ends of bones […]
Cement materials, including cement paste, mortar, and concrete, are the most widely manufactured materials in the world. Their carbon footprint is similarly hefty: The processes involved in making cement contribute almost 6 percent of global […]
Sliding on flexible graphene surfaces has been uncharted territory until now, Graphene, a two-dimensional form of carbon sheets just one atom thick, has been the subject of widespread research, in large part because of its […]
Illustration: Christine Daniloff/MIT and Alexei Bylinkskii A new technique tunes friction between two surfaces, to the point where friction can vanish. MIT researchers developed a frictional interface at the atomic level. The blue corrugated surface […]
This article explains the vital role Friction has to play in Rock Climbing. Thanks to Richard Jones and Glen Harding for their input. Friction is the magic ingredient in bouldering and rock climbing. It’s what […]
For road vehicles, wind resistance increases fuel consumption. But one way to fight wind is with wind. Researchers in Sweden are experimenting with reducing drag on trucks with electric wind devices that mimic the way […]
It is a common trope in disaster movies: an earthquake strikes, causing the ground to rip open and swallow people and cars whole. The gaping earth might make for cinematic drama, but earthquake scientists have […]
The requirement for greater energy efficiency in engineering systems has led to a general reduction in lubricant viscosity, which means that an increasing number of engineering components operate under boundary lubrication conditions. As a result, […]
