Satish V. Kailas: Tribology – A synergistic process that is tribo-system controlled

Abstract

Tribology is a highly interdisciplinary field.  It requires an understanding in physics, chemistry, biology, materials science, mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, etc. Tribological interaction starts at surface of two bodies in relative motion (do note that one of the bodies can be a fluid).  And this interaction leads to wear.  In this talk I will try to simplify the wear process as a synergy between plastic deformation processes, tribo-chemical reactions and mechanically mixed layers.  Experimental evidence of this is provided by sliding a titanium pin against an alumina or stainless steel under controlled environments. The environment was either ambient or vacuum conditions.  The talk will cover these results.  The talk will then cover the various tribometers developed at the lab.  The machines include a controlled environment fretting wear machine for tests meant to be used in Fast Breeder Reactors, a machine to study sliding conditions in a Continuous Variable Transmission, a machine to evaluate the transition from static to dynamic conditions under high acceleration conditions that exist between a seatbelt with fabric and skin during crash conditions, and a force controlled pendulum tribo-meter to measure the friction and Noise and vibration characteristics of a lubricant under boundary lubrication conditions. The whole idea of building these tribometers is to show that results that correlate with actual tribo-system conditions require specific machines to be built.

About the speaker

Professor Satish V. Kailas is Director of the Surface Interaction and Manufacturing Laboratory at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. A leading researcher in the field of tribology and mechanical manufacturing, his research interests focus on wear mechanisms, eco-friendly lubricants, friction stir welding, severe plastic deformation and structural metal fabrication. He is also the India-side partner of the IRP-LUE project entitled Bottom-up Nanotechnology of Metals, which began on January 1^st, 2025 at LEM3 with the Hyperdeformations team.