Tribology and Surface Engineering

Catalog description

This two-part course is aimed at giving students a knowledgebase to (i) fundamentally understand contact, friction, and wear mechanisms and (ii) design surface engineering processes for a desired tribological performance. The first part of the course covers fundamental science relevant to surfaces. Mechanics of contact at different length-scales, the origin of the frictional force, the use of lubrication to reduce friction, and different wear mechanisms, from adhesive to abrasive and erosive, will be discussed in the first part. The second part of the course will cover an overview of different surface modification processes and coating technologies with an emphasis on the physics of the process.