Tribology & Contact Mechanics

Introduction

Tribology is the study of surfaces, their relative motion, contact, friction, lubrication and wear. The group carries out both fundamental and applied research in this interdisciplinary area and has developed a specialised interest in the behaviour of the highly stressed contacts (both dry and lubricated) that occur in vital components such as rolling element bearings, between the teeth of power transmission gears and in nano devices. Currently, a major aim of this work is to improve understanding of the gear failure phenomena of micropitting, scuffing and wear. The important problem of contact and adhesion at the nano-scale is being aided by a pre-fractal representation of surface geometry.

Recently completed and current research topics

Basic Elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL) modelling
Wear of worm gears
Understanding micropitting
Thermal Approach to Studying & Modelling Mixed Lubrication
Mixed lubrication in aerospace fuel pumps
Scuffing performance of hard coatings
Contact Problems and Nanomechanics
Friction and Wear Behaviour of Composite Bearing Liner Materials
Depth sensing indentation at nanometre and micrometer scales.
Tribology of hard, rough carbon containing coatings
Scaling in Solid Mechanics including pre-fractal models of surfaces
Adhesive Contact Problems
Modelling of physical and tribochemical processes

International networks

The group is also involved in several International Tribology Networks and leads ADHESINT which is a Leverhulme Trust International network on adhesive interactions between particles and surfaces at micro and nano-scales.