Tribology


Tribology is the science and technology of interacting surfaces in relative motion and the related matters including friction, wear and lubrication.

Origins of 'Tribology'


The word 'tribology' was born ca. 1965 during an investigation of the lubrication needs of industry for the British government. Peter Jost and his collaborators found that the area they were studying involved much more than lubrication; they found a truly interdisciplinary science embracing physics, chemistry, materials science and mechanical engineering. With help from the editor of Oxford English Dictionary, Jost named the 'new' scientific field Tribology after the Greek word 'tribos' - rubbing. See Machinery Lubrication for an interesting interview with Prof. Jost.