University of Delaware - College of Engineering
MATERIALS TRIBOLOGY LABORATORY
Hierarchical composites provide ultra-low wear without lubrication
Friction force microscopy reveals new insights about the atomic origins of friction
In-situ microtribometry provides new insights into the initiation, progression, and treatment of osteoarthritis
In-situ tribometry provides direct observational access to the buried tribological interface
Co-sputtering offers unique control over the nanocomposite structure of ultra-low wear materials
Instrumenting UD's G90 helps elucidate the effects of non-uniform wind fields on premature drivetrain failure
Probing the sliding interface directly provides novel insights into lubrication and wear mechanisms of cartilage
Solid lubricant coatings keep satellites moving in extreme extraterrestrial environments
Interferometry through transparent bodies probes effects of roughness and real contact areas on friction
Trace loadings of 40nm nanoparticles reduce wear of Teflon by 99.99%

National Defense Research

The ability to operate reliaibly and remotely over extended intervals in increasingly extreme environments is a critical competitive advantage for defense systems. Sand abrades helicopter blades and the hardest bearing surfaces. At sea, propulsion and steering assembly bearings are exposed to a corrosive saltwater environment with a wide range of temperatures and pressures. In aerospace applications, increased altitudes are accompanied by large thermal changes and loss of the atmospheric molecules needed to block solar irradiation and prevent lubricant evaporation.