Research Overview


Lubrication is a technological barrier for a growing number of important applications that need performance where traditional lubrication techniques are precluded. The UD Materials Tribology Laboratory conducts research studying the nature of friction and wear, and developing novel materials and lubrication strategies for use in extreme applications.

Tribological Characterization


Accurate quantitative measurements of friction coefficient and wear rate require careful considerations of the instrument design. The locations and uncertainties of the force measurements are critical. In addition, the small angular misalignments that occur from manufacturing tolerances produce large biases in the calculation of friction coefficient if they are not accounted for.