Tribology based research at UCT: some recent case studies

Cape Town University has not only the important task of teaching, but to carry out research that is of benefit to industry and at the same time to educate aspiring and promising graduates in various aspects of technology. The philosophy and approach in the Centre for Materials Engineering is to develop a solid basis in designing methodologies or routes of producing the optimum material components in the major industries viz. the mining, agricultural, chemical and power industries. The South African Industrial sector has undergone dramatic changes over the last decade and the University will have to follow suit to produce graduates that ‘slot in quickly’ once they qualify. The phrase ‘hit the road running’ is often quoted in this context. The style and type of teaching and research in the faculty and more specifically the department can often determine the number of students choosing that particular field of study. So too are the awareness of industrial collaboration and the tailoring of innovative programmes critical. The importance of understanding the relationship between micro-structure and macro-properties in metallic, ceramic, polymeric and composite engineering materials can therefore not be emphasised enough. ntre (formerly the Department of) for Materials Engineering has established relationships and long-term research programmes with producers and users of steels, polymers, and hard ceramic materials. The research focus in tribology in particular has been built around the academic strength of the late Professor Tony Ball. In this paper, selected examples and case studies in simulated tribo-testing are described, in which he was the principal researcher. The development and proper selection of material couples are taken from metals, ceramics and polymers to illustrate how a good and thorough understanding of the material and the environment has led to successful applications. Studies are selected from:• um containing corrosion and abrasion resistant steels, having adequate mechanical properties; olecular weight polyethylenes and filled polymer composites for use as bearings and seals; eramic and surface-coated and surface-treated materials with good abrasion and erosion resistance in applications in the power industry. Examples are also given where cavitation erosion resistance is important in situations where particles are entrained in fluids and airstreams.