Editorial

Citation

Taylor, J. (2001), "Editorial", Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, Vol. 53 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/ilt.2001.01853daa.001

Editorial

In this issue we are pleased to present four pieces of work covering both theoretical and practical aspects of our field of interest.

Dr Pandazaras and Dr Petropoulos of the University of Thessaly in Greece report on work done developing a computer-based technique for estimating the bearing speed needed to establish hydrodynamic lubrication. Their work demonstrates a method allowing engineers to revise the speed safety factor that must be included when using general empirical formulae. Perhaps others working in this area may have some comments or indeed have carried out some similar work that would be of interest to our readers.

Onsa, Sapuan, Basri, Megat Ahmad and Maleque, from the Institute of Advanced Technology, Universiti Putra Malaysia and University of Malaya in Malaysia demonstrate use of the boundary element method to study the elastohydrodynamic lubrication of hard rolling contact.

Wang, Li, Zhu and He, at the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, in PR China, describe the design and introduction of a magnetic filtering technique at two steel rolling mills. Their technique allows the smaller iron particles suspended in the rolling emulsion to be removed. Clearly this provides a reduction in both initial lubricant cost but, increasingly more importantly, it will also reduce the cost and difficulty associated with disposal of the used oil.

To complete this issue we have the results of investigations made into rail wear on railway curves. This interesting work has been carried out by Patric Waara, at the Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. He provides evidence to support the idea of using both environmentally friendly greases and also greases without solid additives. Traditionally, graphite has been used in rail lubricating greases but Waara has reinforced conclusions from other recent work that the solid lubricant does not in fact reduce wear. With vast quantities of rail lubricant lost to the environment each year, his conclusion that rapeseed based greases can be formulated to provide similar performance to conventional products is welcomed. It will be very interesting to know if railways anywhere in the world have yet made the switch to environmentally friendly rail lubricants. It seems that in reality performance is not a problem, but perhaps folklore or tradition may be.

John Taylor