Tribology Resources

Our tribology research group works within the Materials Directorate at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Over the years we have worked with the Air Force to develop a variety of instruments for the study of tribological systems and materials.

We have developed a facility for the growth of tribological thin films. Our pulsed laser deposition system allows us to grow novel coatings for the reduction of friction and wear. Multiple growth techniques are built into this system, including pulsed laser deposition, magnetron sputtering, and thermal evaporation.

Pulsed Laser Deposition Laboratory

We have also designed and constructed a collection of tribological test machines for evaluating lubricating systems under controlled humidity, vacuum, and high-temperature environments. We have designed and built several tribometers. Using this equipment, we can investigate tribological issues such as sliding, rolling, fretting, and fatigue.

This pin-on-disk tribometer is used to test ribological coatings in a controlled humidity environment.

Analysis of tribological test specimens for the purpose of understanding fundamental mechanisms governing friction and wear are central to our research effort. We employ many techniques in the study of thin films and wear tracks, including surface analysis, microscopy, hardness testing, and scratch testing.

This XPS (x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy) Instrument is one of the surface analysis tools we use to study tribological test specimens.