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WHY
Skin creams are commonly used to improve skin health and create a smooth, soft, and moist perception. This is achieved by altering the surface roughness, friction, and adhesion of skin surface. Despite the fact that there are many commercial creams available, there is no consistent scientific approach to determine their frictional and adhesive properties.
WHY
In everyday life we come across and use applications were wires are operated in sliding contacts. Some examples are elevators, car doors, canopies etc. In the majority of these applications, friction is critical (e.g. the wire in a canopy should slide smoothly), and after a period of tuse, wear damage of the wire can also obstruct the performance.
WHY
In everyday life people use hairstyling products such as waxes or gels, to improve the holding of hair and improve/change its appearance. However, in the market there are many products available, claiming to have different characteristics (e.g. strong hold, silky/smooth touch…). To define the performance of such products, tribology comes into play. In particular two parameters are important. The friction determines how easy a wax or gel can be applied, whereas the stickiness and tackiness determine their holding ability.
WHY
During the processing of bricks in the construction industry, clays slurries can adhere (stick) to mechanical components such as mixers, hindering their function. In addition, in the drilling industry severe damage of the drills can be caused by the sticking and swelling (due to water adsorption) of soils onto the drills. A methodology needs to be developed to measure the stickiness of clays/soils on metallic components.
WHY
Various types of polymers can be used on steel cables, to provide a controlled-friction and noise-reducing coating when used on pulleys. An efficient way to prescreen the behaviour of different types of polymers, in terms of frictional stability and durability, is needed.
WHY
Examples of corrosion are found in many industrial applications ranging from aeronautical, automotive, naval, and the construction industry over home appliances, water systems, pipelines, and ‘bio’ applications. Corrosion phenomena can be significantly accelerated by the simultaneous occurrence of a mechanical load on the surface: the formation of cracks and surface defects, along with surface strain and stress fields lead to faster diffusion of corrosive ions or the destruction of protective layers (depassivation). Thus there is a need to understand the synergy between wear and corrosion.
WHY
Lubricating greases are used in various industrial fields ranging from food, transportation, aeronautical, construction, mining and steel industry. The aim is to decrease frictional forces and to protect industrial components from wear and/or corrosion damage. Their performance depends on interaction properties like adherence to the substrate, cohesion or consistency, and tackiness. However, up to date there is no established quantitative methodology that can be easily applied to efficiently and accurately evaluate the adhesion and tackiness of a grease.
WHY
Surgical suture, holding body tissue together after an injury or surgery, is a complex product. The thread can be surface treated or coated for a number of reasons. One of them is to facilitate the insertion through tissue, the other to hold the knots tightly. Friction of the suture over skin, is thus important to control. Measuring skin-suture friction allows improvement of these threads and their surface treatment.
WHY
Evaluating frictional and wear characteristics of very thin nanostructured layers with macro scale tribometers, in the Newton load range, can create unrealistic conditions. Wear phenomena are highly dependent on the contact conditions: such high loads are not relevant in the case of MEMS. The adhesive and capillary components that contribute to friction, in a micro-contact, can not be simulated with high load devices. Therefore, there is an increasing need to use new tribological testers and procedures to obtain a better understanding of surface interactions on an appropriate scale.
WHY
One of the main issues in the watch industry is reduce the friction and sticking between moving components. To achieve this, a small quantity of lubricant is added in the contact. However, due to the high expectations of the costumers, the increased lifetime of the watch, the size and geometry of components and contact conditions (loads in the mN range), there is a huge need to develop a tool that can evaluate such lubricating tribo-systems. The main challenge is to perform precision frictional measurements, in conditions that simulate the “actual” application.