Lehigh University
The Tribology Laboratory at Lehigh University
Research
- Tribology
- Area of Specialization: Materials Tribology
- Tribometry and Instrumentation
- Material Systems
- Research Strategy
Overview
Our research focus is on the interfacial interactions of materials and energy dissipation of interacting materials. This includes friction, adhesion, wetting behaviors, wear, and deformation (contact mechanics) on complex surfaces ranging from cells to nanocomposites. Nearly every system, both natural and engineered, has at least one performance-critical interfacial interaction; the immediate impacts of my research are rooted in multiple initiatives, including energy/efficiency/sustainability, national defense, nanoscience, biological/biomedical sciences, and engineering design. These interfacial interactions often occur in extreme and changing environments, in which reliable performance must be achieved. Furthermore, the demand for reliable materials in such extreme environments requires a fundamental research approach to develop mechanistic understandings of applied problems and systems. Tribology is this multidisciplinary research at the intersection of traditional mechanics, material science, surface chemistry and physics. My specific research could be classified as Materials Tribology.
News
Undergraduate Research Positions Available
Oportunity for hands on research experience.
Now Accepting Applications.
In the Tribology Laboratory, undergraduates will do experimental research focused on interfacial interactions of condensed matter. This includes studying the fundamental origins of friction, wear, surface deformation and adhesion on complex surfaces and materials ranging from cells to nanocomposites in environments ranging space to kilometers under water.
Active research includes analysis of materials that recently returned from the international space station, evaluating wear of dinosaur dental fossils, developing and patenting ultra-low wear polymer nanocomposites, studying and designing biocompatible and bio-inspired polymeric and hydrogel materials, and collaborating internationally on the physics of soft matter interactions. This research in tribology is at the intersection of mechanical engineering, materials science and surface physics.
Nanomechanical and Tribological Properties on Hadrosaurid Dinosaurs
Prof. Greg Sawyer, Greg Erickson and Brandon Krick measured nanomechanical and tribological properties on hadrosaurid (duck-billed dinosaur) dental fossils from the American Museum of Natural History. Using custom instruments, we measured tissue hardness and wear rates that were preserved in the 65 million year old tooth. These properties are preserved in fossilized teeth because apatite mineral content is the major determinant of dental tissue hardness. Measured tissue wear rates were used to simulate the formation of hadrosaurid tooth chewing surfaces using a 3-D wear simulation. The simulation results in a surface profile nearly identical to a naturally worn hadrosaurid dental battery. The model revealed how each tissue (of differing wear rates) contributed to the formation of sophisticated slicing and grinding features in these reptiles tens of millions of years before mammals evolved analogous chewing capacity. This capacity to measure wear-relevant properties preserved in fossils provides a new route to study biomechanics throughout evolution. See Journal papers:
Science, October 5, 2012, pp.98-101.
Experiments back from the International Space Station
Space Tribometers and Samples back for analysis
Materials on the International Space Station Experiments (MISSE) Space Tribometers were the first ever active tribometers directly exposed to the Low Earth Orbit Environment
The Tribology Laboratory at Lehigh University is under construction
The lab as of May 2013
The lab as of July, 3rd 2013
