Essay On Tribology

862 Words2 Pages

Though the phenomena itself is as old as any other branch of Physics, the focus on wear aspects of Material and development of the field as a separate study in its own right is rather new. Tribology is a relatively young branch of Mechanical Engineering, introduced in 1966 by Prof. H. Peter Jost in his report for the UK Department of Education and Science. The Oxford English dictionary defines Tribology as “the branch of science and technology concerned with interacting surfaces in relative motion and with associated matters (as friction, wear, lubrication, and the design of bearings)”.

As with the other younger branches of Science of Technology, Tribology has also culminated itself into a branch of technology friendlier to the earth. Such a branch is green tribology which focuses on being environmentally conscious to create a sustainable environment and ultimately leading to improvement of environmental quality. Twelve Principles of Green Tribology forms the cornerstone of this green initiative.

A small but important aspect of Green Engineering derived from these twelve principles is the Biomimetic approach which includes biomimetic surfaces, materials, and other biomimetic and bio-inspired approaches, since they tend to be more eco friendly. Biomimetics (also referred to as bionics or biomimicry) is the application of biological methods and systems found in nature to the study and design of engineering systems and modern technology. The remarkable properties of the biological materials serve as a source of inspiration for materials scientists and engineers indicating that such performance can be achieved if the paradigm of materials design is changed. While in most cases it is not possible to directly borrow solutions from l...

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Lotus effect is just one of the many demonstrations of Biomimetic. Other possible realms of the applications include
1. The Gecko effect- when strong adhesion is needed (e.g., adhesive tapes) or for reversible adhesion (e.g., climbing robot);
2. Fish Scales- ecological coatings ; Underwater oleophobicity - self-cleaning and antifouling surfaces;
3. Moth eye effect- the self-cleaning ability combined with optical properties;
4. MicroElectroMechanical System (MEMS)-based dynamically tunable surfaces for the control of liquid/matter flow and/or coloration; Self-repairing surfaces and materials, which are able to heal minor damage;
5. Water strider effect mimicking the ability of insects to walk on water using the capillary forces;
6. The ‘‘Sand Fish’’ lizard effect, able to dive and ‘‘swim’’ in loose sand due to special electromechanical properties of its scale

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