Seminar: Tribology and Surface Engineering: From Nanoscale Phenomena to Industrial Applications

Sriram Sundararajan, professor, Iowa State University

All dates for this event occur in the past.

Scott Laboratory
Scott Laboratory
201 W. 19th Ave.
E525
Columbus, OH 43210
United States

Abstract

Tribology is the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. This long-standing field impacts a large range of application areas ranging from biomedical implants to wind turbines.  This talk will highlight two specific experimental studies conducted by Sundararajan’s group that explore interfacial phenomena at different length scales. The first will address the characterization of nanoscale wear phenomena and highlight the use of 3-D atom probe tomography in helping to characterize fundamental wear mechanisms associated with a sliding contact between a scanning probe tip and a metal surface. Comparisons with molecular dynamics simulations will also be discussed. The second study will address efforts to understand the interfacial phenomena in rolling-sliding contacts subject to high contact pressure and low operating speeds, such as those encountered in drive-trains in agricultural equipment and wind turbines. Specifically, the evolution of surface roughness and hardness of the surface during run-in as well as the effect of retained austenite on the micro-pitting behavior of AISI 8620 steel will be discussed.

 

About the speaker

Sriram Sundararajan is a professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University and serves as the associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Engineering. His research areas encompass multiscale tribology (friction, lubrication and wear) and engineering education. He has authored over 70 articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings. Sundararajan is an ASME Fellow and serves the society as an ABET program evaluator and on their Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Committee. He is an executive committee member of the Mechanical Engineering Division of the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE). He is also a steering committee member for the International Conference on Wear of Materials. Sundararajan received his BE degree in mechanical engineering from The Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani (India) followed by MS and PhD degrees in mechanical wngineering from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio.

 

Hosted by Professor Bharat Bhushan.