Editorial

Citation

Taylor, J. (2002), "Editorial", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 54 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2002.01854faa.001

Editorial

In this issue we are pleased to include technical papers covering a wide range of subjects from the highly theoretical to some very practical work.

Academics from the Chung Yuan Christian University and the Nanya Institute of Technology in Taiwan, ROC, share with us research they have done on the Jeffcott rotor bearing system. They conclude the depth of the rotor in the bearing does depend on the design of the restrictor and bearing. The detailed mathematical analysis is impressive and should be of interest to other modellers in this area.

Electroless plating is a technique used to change the surface characteristics of tribology materials to, for example, improve the effect of lubrication. Earlier work had concluded that the vibration damping capacity of some substances could be changed by various surface treatments. Hiroki Endo and Etsuo Marui, from Gifu University in Japan, continue their work by examining the effects of electroless plating on flat metal plate from the vibration damping viewpoint. They conclude that shearing forces in the plating film create friction leading to energy absorption affecting the vibration. The use of various foreign particles adds to the complexity of the subject but may be of great interest in some practical Cliff Lea, of Fuchs Lubricants in the UK, provides a very useful and interesting summary of the current situation in Europe regarding lubricants derived from renewable resources. It seems that about 2 per cent of the European lubricants market is now held by these types of lubricants with a projected expansion to 5 per cent by 2006. Of course a major change would occur if strict legislation were to be enacted to promote the use of these products. The report provides a great deal of useful information in the current uses of "environmentally friendly" products and some indications of where expansion in use is likely. It would seem that researchers, lubricant developers and marketers will need to take note of the conclusions reached.

We all realise that truck operators throughout the world have had to become more and more efficient in their operation. Reduced "off-road" time when the truck is not earning money must be kept to a minimum. Lubricant drain intervals have been dramatically extended in the past 20 years to help play a part in reducing "down-time". Messers Hansel and Mullins, from ChevronTexaco Global Lubricants in California, USA, present the background to their company's investigation into requirements for long drain transmission and axle lubricants. This has led to the successful introduction into the market place of some new commercial products. They explain their thinking behind the selection of oil type and additive system best suited to this product type and how they were able to prove performance before marketing the finished product.

The use of soluble cutting oils in place of neat oils is an increasing factor in the European metalworking industry. Higher machining speeds demand the better cooling characteristics of the water containing products and environmental pressure on the safe disposal of used oil is another major factor. Bacterial growth is a traditional problem associated with water-based fluids but it is known that if a synthetic oil component is used then the problem can be reduced. Fabrice Domingues Dos Santos and Francois Guillemet of Atofina in Paris, France, report on the development of a new water soluble EP additive to overcome the otherwise poorer EP performance of synthetics. This very practical solution to a widespread problem will be of great interest to product developers working in this field.

Researchers from the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany are addressing the problem of using the properties of diamond like coatings as a design element. They point out that this type of low friction coating is used on an empirical basis, as there is a lack of analysis of the interaction between the coating and the substrate. Their paper describes how they developed a method for estimating some of the critical parameters needed to predict real world performance.

John Eastwood, of Uniquema Lubricants, reports on the introduction, in July 2002, of a new European Preparation Directive. He describes the new situation involving labelling and safety information in particular, with regard to metal working fluids.

We hope that this varied content will provide items of interest to all readers. Of course your Editor is always interested in your comments and opinions on the papers presented. If you are working in a similar field why not consider putting your work forward for publication? We look forward to hearing from you.

John Taylor