Laboratory News
ASME
2010 Pi Tau Sigma Gold Medal
Silver Poster Award: Edward D. Bonnevie – 2010 STLE annual meeting
Best Poster Award: Vincent J. Baro – 2010 CBER Research Symposium
Best Presentation Award: Harman S. Khare – 2010 UDME Graduate Research Symposium
NIH
2010 COBRE Osteoarthritis Pilot Study Tribological Measurements of Cartilage Degradation
AFOSR
2010 YIP Linking Tribofilm Nanomechanics to the Origins of Friction and Wear
Home
Welcome to the Materials Tribology Laboratory. Our lab is part of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Delaware. We are located on the third floor (room 333) of Spencer Laboratory and across Academy street from the Center for Composite Materials.
Introduction to Tribology
Tribology is defined as the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion and the related matters; it is broadly described as the study of lubrication, friction and wear. Moving mechanical systems are littered with tribological components and the economic losses associated with friction and wear are enormous. Improved lubrication strategies are critical to our national goals of green engineering and energy sustainability. Click here for
more on tribology.
Laboratory Research Overview
Our research lies at the intersection of materials science and mechanical engineering in the area of materials tribology. Our investigations target the fundamentals interactions of contacting surfaces; the difficulty in accessing the buried tribological interface is a pervasive challenge. Laboratory activities are diverse and include design of novel experimental techniques, development and characterization of nanocomposite and hierarchically structured materials, microscale and macroscale tribometry, wear modeling and life prediction. Our research efforts address the challenges of operation in extreme and remote environments; examples include space-flight, remote military missions, biological systems, IC engines, high-power wind turbines and MEMS/NEMS.
Student Positions Available
We have research experiences available for undergraduates. Interested students should contact Dr. Burris.