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WEAR NEWS Volume 8, Number 2 Fall 2010

Gordon Research Conference (GRC)

The Gordon Research Conferences are held every

two years and they are small groups (100-150) or

researchers and students who gather to discuss

current research issues and to possibly address as a

group, issues that need to be resolved to move

further in an area. The GRC on Tribology was

held from June 27 to July 7, 2010 at Colby College

in Waterville, Me. It was attended by about 130

people from many countries. There appeared to be

more young researchers and students than “old”

researchers and there appeared (to me) to be more

physicists than any other technical persuasion.

The theme of the conference was “Challenges at

the Buried Interface.” The format for the

conferences was: several invited lectures in the

morning, free afternoons, and several invited

lectures in the evening. There were about 80

posters in the break areas. Many researchers are

using focused ion beam (FIB) sectioning tools to

make cross-section slices transverse to wear scars

and then analyzing these cross-sections with

transition electron microscopy (TEM). There was

lots of this at this GRC. Since the group was

heavy in physicists, many presentations included

molecular dynamics computer simulations of what

happens at the atom and molecular level between

sliding surfaces. There appeared to be varied

opinions on what is the best fundamental quantum

mechanic basis to use for these simulations.

There seemed to be less biotribology than in other

wear conferences, but one thing that was very

evident was that the body joint wear/friction

problem was still with us. Nobody agrees on what

is the best couple to use: plastic on steel, plastic on

ceramic, metal-on-metal. (I used to be a metal-to-

metal person, but now I am swaying towards

ceramic-to-plastic.)

There was not much discussion on “industrial

tribology”: abrasion, erosion, bearings, machining

fluids, traction, gears, cams, etc. since most of the

attendees were theoreticians and academicians.

This has been the norm for the 12 or 14 GRC

conferences that I have attended. However, we

practitioners who attend always pick up some ideas

of industrial use and keep abreast of what is

happening at a higher level.

Overall, this was a wonderful and refreshing

conference. It was chaired by Mark Robbins of

John Hopkins University and co chaired by Alfons

Fischer, University Kharlstat Essen. William

Unertle of the University of Maine chaired the

poster sessions. Hopefully, these tribology

“retreats” will continue and help bring together the

diverse elements that constitute the field of

tribology.

Ohio State Nanoprobe Laboratory

Professor Bharat Bhushan held this 17th

Nanotribology Short Course and Sponsors Meeting

at the Ohio State University (OSU) Nanoprobe

Laboratory for Bio and Nanotechnology and

Biomemetics. The nature of Bharat’s work has

changed over the years from research on magnetic

media to research with the study of surfaces for

applications ranging from face creams to

automobile batteries (lithium ion).

The Nanoprobe Lab uses scanning probe

microscopes (STM, AFM’s) and nanoindentation

and scratching instruments coupled with OSU’s

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complete repertoire of surface science instruments

to study how surfaces form and react to control

various properties. For example, in current battery

studies, they use AFM’s to measure physical

changes to anode and cathode materials as they age

(are used) and then use chemical analysis and other

surface science technologies to explain the

observed physical changes.

In the area of biomenetrics, they are using the

hydophobic surfaces on louts leaves to engineer

self-cleaning surfaces for equipment and

structures. They are copying shark skin to make

surfaces with reduced fluid drag.

They are still doing more traditional tribology

work like lubrication of MEM’s and NEM’s and

using AFM and other surface science techniques to

investigate MEM and NEM problems like sticking

of micromirrors in digital devices.

Bharat’s annual review gives sponsors and

industrial users of his technologies an opportunity

to interact with the students and post-docs who

perform the research in the OSU Nanotribology

Lab. They are a unique facility and his lab

continues to produce new learnings, publications,

and patents relating to nanotechnology.

TriboBr – The First International Brazilian

Conference on Tribology

This was a seminal event for Professor Daniel de

Mello (UFU), ABM and Brazil. Professor de

Mello organized the event. ABM, the

metallurgical, materials, and Mining Society of

Brazil sponsored the conference. There have been

conferences going back to 1998 on tribology, but

this was their first international project. There

were many people helping Professor de Mello

organize the event, and they made the conference

special through invited speakers that included

some of the “biggest” names in the business:

Ali Erdimer (Keynote), Argonne National Lab

(USA) -- “Innovative Design Concepts in Surface

Engineering”

Karl-Heinzzn ZumGarr, University of Karlsruhe

(Germany) – “Advanced Materials and Surface

Design for Tribocomponents.”

Izhak Etsion, Technicion – Israel Institute of

Technology (Israel) – “A Review of Laser Surface

Texturing Applications.”

Jean Michel Martin, Ecole Centrale de Lyon

(France) – “Tribochemical Reactions Revisited.”

Hugh Spikes, Imperial College, UK “Boundary

Lubrication; History and Recent Developments.”

Professor Ikemi, Tokyo City University (Japan) –

“Recent Engine Tribological Investigations at

Tokyo City University.”

Maria Isabel de Barros Bouchet, Ecole Central de

Lyon (France) – “Advanced Boundary Lubrication

of Hard Carbon Coatings with Envoronmentally

Friendly Additives”

Ken Holmberg, VTT (Finland) – “Coated Surface

Wear Prediction by Computer Modeling.”

Professor Bronovets Morat Aleksandrovich,

Russian Academy of Science (Russia) – “Space

Tribology.”

Professor Staffan Jacobson, Uppsala University

(Sweden) – “Resistance to Abrasive Wear –

Fundamental and Practical Aspects.”

Professor John Williams, Cambridge University

(UK) – “Tribology at a Small Scale: Learning

from Nature.”

The conference lasted for three days and it was

held at the Rio Othon Palace Hotel on Cocacabana

Beach in Rio de Janiero. There were 114 attendees

from about 20 countries and 25 papers were

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presented orally and another 20 or so were

presented as posters. Session topics ranged from

Biotribology Modeling and Simulation

Fundamentals to Tribology in Rolling Mills and

Manufacturing Processes. It was indeed refreshing

to listen to excellent work on real tribology

problems: cavitation erosion in turbines,

hardfacings for communition equipment, railroad

wear, grinding ball wear, pump seals, automatic

transmissions, piston rings, gear wear, disk brakes,

and plain bearings. Of course, there were plenty of

talks on the vagaries and nuances of thin coatings,

but there was a feeling that this conference was

contributing to solving real industrial and

economic problems as opposed to the usual

offerings that are in many cases Ph.D. theses

results.

The conference was concluded by a presentation

by the Chairman of ABM and he stated that Brazil

is on track to become the number one exporter of

petroleum in the world. Their economy (GNP)

will grow by 7 ½ % this year. They will host the

World Cup Competition in Soccer in 2014 and the

Olympics in 2015. As a country, they plan to place

10 million people in their “first home” and they

have plans for significant improvements in their

infrastructure. With 190 million people and oil

wealth, Brazil is indeed a country on the move and

this introduction of an international tribology effort

was certainly in keeping with these plans. The

organizers and ABM are to be congratulated on a

great conference.

ASTM G2 Fall 2010 Meeting, Jacksonville, FL –

December 7 – 9

Visit to the University of Florida Labs:

The technical activity associated with the fall

meeting of the ASTM G2 Committee in Wear and

Erosion was a visit to Professor Greg Sawyer’s

tribology lab at the University of Florida in

Gainsville. Greg actually has seven labs in the

mechanical engineering building and he showed a

group of eight G2 attendees his equipment and

gave us a snapshot of his project work.

Greg has a number of Ph.D. and Master’s students

that he supervises and project work centers on

sliding surfaces together with techniques that allow

all forces and environmental conditions to be

known and recorded throughout a test. He also has

the capability to measure and analyze films and

transfer to rubbing surfaces with almost every

analytical tool that is known (EDAX, XRF, SIMS,

Raman, etc.). He even has real time analytical

capability and is even working on syncotron

techniques to look through solids in real time to

assess wear happenings.

Current projects include the wear properties of

polymer-based nanocomposites, contact lens vs

eye cells, and space tribology. Greg has six

tribotesters on the international space station. Greg

is tribology’s rock star. His equipment and staff

may be without parallel in the US. It was a very

informative and rewarding visit and Greg and his

staff are to be complemented for the incredible

work that they do in tribology.

Friction Activities:

The Fall 2010 meeting was chaired by Ken

Budinski (Bud Labs). The status of the

subcommittee’s standards was reviewed and it was

determined that the G182 standard on breakaway

friction of rolling element bearings will need

balloting for reapproval in 2011. Ken Budinski

will review the standard and make any necessary

revisions.

Greg Dalton reported that he has established a

work item to develop a test method for measuring

friction in the twist-compression galling test.

Ken Budinski reported that he will prepare a non-

mandatory appendix on the laws of friction for the

G115 standard on friction testing and data

interpretation. This addition will be balloted

before the Spring 2011 meeting.

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Non-abrasive Wear Activities:

Chairman, Nick Randall, (CSM) reported that there

are no current reapproval ballots on existing test

methods.

Greg Dalton (Tribosys) reported that a ballot on a

new test method on the twist/compression test

received a significant number of negatives and the

standard was withdrawn to address the negatives.

Ken Budinski reported on interlaboratory studies

underway on ASTM G204 test on damage to solids

under fretting condition. Results are in from three

labs and more labs will be sought before a second

round of tests is conducted.

Mike Anderson (Falex) reported that he will ballot

a draft of a new standard on a 3-pads on a disk test.

He also has the responsibility for reapproval of the

crossed cylinder test which was withdrawn because

it was not reviewed and reballoted on schedule.

Terminology Activities:

Scott Hummel conducted the meeting for Chair

Peter Blau (ORNL). He reported that the

following terms received affirmative results and

will go into ASTM G40 Terms:

Average erosion rate

Cavitation

Flow cavitation

Normal incubation time

Normalized erosion resistance

Normalized incubation resistance

Micropitting

Tribocorrosion

Scott Hummel and Mike Anderson proposed a new

definition for “wear.” They will ballot the new

definition prior to the next meeting.

Erosion Activities:

Scott Hummel chaired the erosion subcommittee

meeting and he reported that Frank Heymann is

closing the task group on revision of the ASTM

G32 vibratory horn cavitation test. The revised

standard was balloted at the subcommittee level

and will go to ballot at the committee level in the

near future.

Frank Heymann also submitted a report on

reapproval or withdrawal of ASTM G134 test on

“erosion of solid materials by a cavitating liquid

het.” Frank located some users of this test and

they expressed their desire to retain the test and

perform the required interlaboratory tests.

Professor Hitoshi Soyama (Tohoku University in

Japan) will chair a task group to conduct the tests

necessary to establish repeatability data.

Jeff Smith (Consultant) reported that he has a task

group working to develop a new test method for

solid particle erosion testing of solids at elevated

temperatures.

Abrasion Activities:

The Fall 2010 subcommittee meeting was chaired

by Steve Shaffer (Battelle). He reported that the

ASTM G65 dry sand rubber wheel abrasion test

was successfully balloted for reapproval.

Ken Budinski (Bud Labs) reported on activity on a

revision of ASTM B611 high stress abrasion test.

The test was written for cemented carbides, but the

revised version will state that the test is applicable

to other “hard materials” such as ceramics and

cermets. The revision has been sent to the editorial

subcommittee and will be balloted after their

review. Ken Budinski will try to identify a suitable

hard material for interlaboratory tests using the

new method.

Under new business, Ken Budinski reported that

there is a current problem in obtaining test sand for

ASTM G65. Troy LaValley (Falex) will

investigate the sand problem as well as perceived

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concerns about the D2 reference material used in

the G65 test.

Scott Hummel (Lafayette College) requested that

the subcommittee revise the G65 standard to show

Falex as the sole supplier of rubber wheels for the

test.

Data Acquisition Activities:

Chair, Greg Dalton (Tribsys) reported that ASTM

G190 Guide for Selection of Wear Tests is up for

review and reballot. He will do the review and

also enter a work item on wear condition

monitoring.

Miscellany:

PV Design Mapping – Bob Clark and Bob Adam

(Tribis) made a presentation to the G2 Committee

at the Fall 2010 Jacksonville meeting on a new

way to develop PV limits on plastics. Instead of

running many tests at different loads with fixed

velocity and many velocities with fixed loads, they

developed a computer-controlled machine which

will do these tests with one test couple. The wear

and friction are continually monitored so when one

PV is done, the machine simply does another on

the same specimens. They did all of their work

with plastic riders on a hard tool steel counterface

which did not wear. The machine can do 100 PV

tests in 48 hours.

Next Workshop:

Fretting wear and fretting corrosion was proposed

as the next G2 workshop. Greg Dalton will decide

on the time and venue

Future G2 meetings:

June 22-23, 2011, Baltimore, MD (with

D2)

December 7-8, 2011, New Orleans, LA

(with D2)

April 17-18, 2012, Georgia Tech (with

Tribocorrosion Symposium)

September 20-21, 2012, CSM Boston

Future Conferences

The appended list was prepared by Dr. Peter J.

Blau of the Oak Ridge National Lab.

NOTE: Wear News is the informal account of selected tribology events and the activities of the ASTM

G2 Committee on Wear and Erosion.

Contributed tribology articles are welcome.

Send them and other inquiries to:

Ken Budinski

Bud Labs

904 Ridge Road West

Rochester, NY 14615 (USA)

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