Internet Research Register

Citation

Dwyer-Joyce, R. (1999), "Internet Research Register", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 51 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.1999.01851daa.007

Internet Research Register

Internet Research Register

Message from the Internet Research Register editor

Research in the field of tribology has grown rapidly in recent years. Tribology research groups have sprung up in universities and industries all around the world. It is perhaps because of the pervasive nature of tribology itself that these groups are working in hugely diverse areas; from the nano-scale fundamentals of friction, to the design of lubricant additives, the life of a bearing, or the wear of engine parts. It has become increasingly difficult to keep track of who is doing what and where. Conference presentations and journal publications are invaluable, but they tend to describe the end result of research, and often some time after its completion. This is where an online register comes into its own.

MCB has embarked on a new venture with the creation of such an online register. Letters were recently sent out to researchers and research groups working in the field of tribology. These letters invited the recipient to submit details of their research to the ILT Research Register. The records will be compiled into the largest online database of world-wide tribological research activity. The database is accessible in the usual way through a Web browser (like Netscape or Mosaic) and an Internet connection. The register is located at http://www.mcb.co.uk/literati/research_registers/ The database contains details of both university and industry based research by topic, keyword, investigator, publications, and location. The records are being continually updated and monitored for accuracy and completeness. Access to the register will be free to all registrants and to ILT subscribers. We hope that the register will grow into an invaluable source for practising research engineers. You can use it to promote your own work, find out what others are doing, or seek out a collaborator.

As a community we owe it to ourselves to keep each other informed. Science progresses only by the exchange of ideas and information. The Internet has become a facilitator of that exchange. I encourage you to support this exchange of information. You can do this in two ways; first, by ensuring that your section of the research register is kept up to date, and second by using the register. If some project is of interest, or you see an area for collaboration, then contact the registrant and start the information exchange process.

Rob Dwyer-JoyceInternet Research Register editorUniversity of Sheffield

About the Internet Research Register editor

Dr Dwyer-Joyce (Rob) is a lecturer in mechanical engineering at the University of Sheffield (UK).He has held this post for five years. Previous to this he was a research assistant at Imperial College (UK), and before that an engineer at British Gas. Rob runs a tribology research group, comprising seven students and research assistants, with research interests in a range of tribological phenomena including abrasive wear, rolling contact fatigue, automotive engine wear, and ultrasonic contact measurement.

Rob is a member of a number of committees, including EPSRC Mechanical Engineering College member; ESDU Tribology Steering Group committee member; Institution of Mechanical Engineers Tribology Group Committee member; Institution of Mechanical Engineers Tribology Group Education Sub-Committee member; and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Tribology Group CPD Working Party member.