Twenty-five years of the International Tribology Council - September 1973 to September 1998

Citation

(1998), "Twenty-five years of the International Tribology Council - September 1973 to September 1998", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 50 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1998.01850fab.003

Twenty-five years of the International Tribology Council - September 1973 to September 1998

Twenty-five years of the International Tribology Council ­ September 1973 to September 1998

The Silver Jubilee of the International Tribology Council was on 24 September 1998. It was on that day in 1973 that it was formed at a meeting of representatives of the International Organising Committee of Eurotrib '73, the First European Tribology Congress.

The interests of Tribology Societies and Groups in various countries were felt to be enhanced by an association. Their strength, especially in overcoming the barriers of recognition of the subject, would be increased by becoming part of an international body.

At the proposal of Professor M.J. Pavlovic of Yugoslavia and seconded by Professor B.J. Jokobsson of Sweden it was decided to form the International Tribology Council.

Its seven objectives, which have not changed, were:

1. 1.

   To maintain a live and continuous contact between tribology and kindred societies and groups anywhere in the world.

2. 2.

   To facilitate tribology and kindred societies and groups to keep each other informed of their activities, in particular of their forward programmes.

3. 3.

   To ensure that its international congresses are arranged at agreed intervals; however, the organisation of such congresses to be conducted by the respective Host Society or Societies.

4. 4.

   To facilitate exchange of views, comments and opinions on tribological matters between member societies and groups.

5. 5.

   To advise and assist ­ where requested ­ in the founding of tribology in countries where such societies do not exist.

6. 6.

   To assist through international co-operation in matters connected with tribology science, technology and education.

7. 7.

   To undertake such other actions within the field of tribology science, technology and education, whether pure or applied, which at least three quarters of all member groups or societies desire it to do.

The Founder Members of the ITC included all those societies and groups present at the meeting and those joining before the end of 1973. They were from France, West Germany, India, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Sweden, UK, USSR and Yugoslavia. It was agreed at the Founding meeting, that all members had to be non-commercial, non-political bodies and covering their country in all aspects of tribology.

The International Tribology Council now has 36 Member Societies and eight Corresponding Members from countries where no organised tribology activities are in place.

Since its original meeting in 1973 in London, four-yearly ITC Congresses have taken place in Düsseldorf, Warsaw, Lyon, Helsinki and Budapest. With the tribology family growing beyond Europe, the ITC In Session meeting in Budapest in 1993 decided to hold in 1997 the First World Tribology Congress.

The date coincided with the Diamond Jubilee of the first ever international meeting on lubrication and wear, organised by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in 1937. For these historical reasons the 1997 World Tribology Congress was held in the same building, the Central Hall in Westminster. It attracted 1,100 participants from 52 countries.

As in 1973 the World Congress in 1997 was honoured by the Royal Patronage of HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh KG KT.

The Second World Tribology Congress organised by an ITC Member Society will take place in Austria from 3-7 September 2001.

The International Tribology Council is recognised worldwide. It is a Corresponding Member of UNESCO. Its mere existence has strengthened the position of member groups and societies in their countries ­ as indeed was hoped for when the ITC was founded 25 years ago.

The President, Professor H. Peter Jost, wishes to thank the Hon. Vice Presidents, Corresponding Members and Societies for their support and for the work that they have undertaken during the past 25 years.

There can be no doubt that the work has assisted in the creation of wealth, and the reduction of economic losses.

With tribology being a vital subject in many areas, one of the main tasks of member societies during the next 25 years is to ensure that tribology becomes and is accepted as an indispensable part of every country's technological culture.

World Tribology Congress ­ Vienna, Austria 2001

The date of the Second World Tribology Congress is 3-7 September 2001 and will be held at the Messe Congress Centre, Vienna, Austria.

The Austrian Federal Ministry for Science and Traffic and the Technical Academy of Esslingen will co-operate with the Austrian Tribology Society, the official organisers of the Congress.

The In Session meeting of the International Tribology Council will be held prior to the Congress on 2 September, where the decision to hold the 2006 Congress will be made.

Further details of the Second World Tribology Congress will be issued in future ITC Information Sheets.

MSc (Eng) Course on Surface Engineering and Tribology

This course offers a unique opportunity for career development in a specialised area of engineering, which will become more and more important in the future. As far as is known, there is no equivalent course on offer throughout the whole of Europe. The prime intention of this course is to equip graduates in engineering and physical sciences, as well as engineers already employed in industry, with focused and in-depth knowledge of the multi-disciplined skills required for effective employment and contribution to the Surface Engineering and Tribology industries. From industry feedback it is estimated that the UK need for such skilled engineers is very high, and opportunities currently exist in the automotive, aerospace, marine, chemical, food processing, manufacturing and medical implant industries.

On successfully completing this course, graduates will find themselves equipped with an advanced level of knowledge and understanding of the subjects covered in the compulsory modules, with comparable abilities in their chosen areas of specialisation. As professionals, graduates from this course will find they are effective communicators, both verbally and in writing, with the ability to work on an individual basis or as an integral member of a team.

This course lasts for one academic year. Like all of the School's MSc courses, it is modular, with a number of compulsory core modules being augmented with additional modules chosen to reflect the particular interests of any individual student. During the first semester, from October to December, the following compulsory modules are taken, each with a value of 10 credits:

• •

  Set 1 (MECH 5410) Introduction to Surface Engineering;

• •

  Set 2 (MECH 5175) Surface Contact Mechanics;

• •

  Set 3 (MECH 5270) Lubricants and Lubrication;

• •

  Set 4 (MECH 5510) Computational and Experimental Methods.

In the second semester, the following compulsory modules are taken:

• •

  Set 5 (MECH 5420) Surface Engineering Design;

• •

  Set 6 (MECH 5290) Tribological Design of Lubricated Machine Elements.

With two additional optional modules (of value 10 credits each ) chosen from:

• •

  Biomaterials and Biotribology, Engine Tribology, Bearing Design, Computational Geometry for Design and Manufacture, Automotive Transmission Engineering, Finite Element Methods for Stress Analysis, Vehicle Ride and Handling, Quality Tools for the Product Life Cycle, Combustion in Engines, Computational Fluid Dynamics, Plasticity for Metal Forming.

There is also a compulsory Professional Project which spans the duration of the course, with a credit value of 40 credits:

• •

  Set 7 (MECH 5821) Professional Project in Surface Engineering and Tribology

The MSc (Eng) is awarded on successfully accruing 120 credits from the above modules and options.

If more information is required, or you wish to visit the school, please contact:

The Postgraduate Admissions Tutor, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.

Tel: +44 (0)113 233 2140/2117; Fax: +44 (0)113 233 2150; E-mail: pg-admissions@leeds.ac.uk http://www.mecheng.leeds.ac.uk

Cost 516 Report ­ Helsinki 13-15 May 1998

New research results were presented and discussed at the COST 516 Tribology Symposium which took place with about 81 participants from 21 countries attending. The topics were focused on grease lubrication, surface engineering and tribology of environmental adapted lubricants. Scientific reports presented the status of the running projects and the results achieved in 1997.

The Symposium was hosted by VTT Technical Research Centre in Finland, and the Chairman was Professor Kenneth Holmberg.

Present were 21 European countries and one non-European (India) which had joined the action in August 1995; 110 project proposals had been evaluated by 21 highly scientific experts. The first project received funding and started in 1996, and at the beginning of 1998 there were 52 running projects in action with a total research funding of some 16 million ECU.

In March Professor Holmberg reported to the COST Materials Technical Committee meeting in Rome the status of COST 516 Tribology Action. The COST materials programme has some 700-900 research projects running. COST 516 Tribology Action could be considered the flagship action for the whole COST materials programme.

The COST 516 Tribology action is a European research programme containing about 60 research projects from 23 countries running from 1994 to 2000.

Full particulars and a copy of the Symposium book can be obtained from: Professor K. Holmberg, VTT Manufacturing Technology, PO Box 1704, Fin-02044 VTT, Finland.

Further information from the International Tribology Council, 1 Birdcage Walk, London SW1H 9JJ. Tel: 44 (0)171 222 7899; Fax: 0171 222 4557.