Tribologically-based Machine Design
What is Tribology?
Tribology is the technical and scientific aspect of contact surface. Performance, Reliability, and Durability of machines is determined by tribological performance of the contact surface. In many cases, performance of machines are highly dependent on the property of friction and wear at the contact surface and 75 percent mechanical failure in machines is caused by the problem at the contact surfaces. In Japan, the problem of friction and wear causes 3 percent of loss in GDP. Therefore, to contribute to saving resources and energy, reliable and robust high-performance machine designs need to be transform from the traditional "form of design and materials" to "contact surface and surface design" .
As the result, contact surface science and technology (Tribology) is introduced.
Research Goal
The goal of our research is to develop the technology for controlling the friction and wear of the contact surface. We introduce the concept of "Tribologically-based Machine Design" for obtaining high performance of Machines.
Present research topics
- Research about Ceramics and Thin hard-film Adsorbed Gas Lubrication
- Research about Ultrasonic Motor and Ultra Precise-positioning Surface Acoustic Motor
- Research about Frictional Sound Generating Mechanism
- Research about Lubrication by Tribo-Coating Method for Space Machines and Medical Equipment
- Research about Water Lubricated Ceramics
Past Research Activities
Research and development of Friction Drive System
- Research of ultra-precise positioning system using ultrasonic motors
- Reseach for control of flexible medium transport system
- Ceramics and friction-driven research using PEEK
Research and development of friction and and low-friction system
- Research and development of Tribo-Coating vacuum equipment for lubrication (friction solid support-type lubricant film formation method)
- Research and development of water-lubrication of ceramics
- Research and development of ceramics and hard film gas adsorption lubrication system
Research and development of wear resistance and wear mechanism of TRIBOSYSTEM
- Microscopic wear mechanism and wear map using theory of wear and systematic arrangement
- Research and development TRIBOSYSTEM using ceramics and hard wear-resistant thin-film
- Research of tribo-sintering of alumina ceramics mirror processing
Research and development of friction, wear and surface characteristics of rubbing process
- Development of Polymer membrane surface rubbing characterization
- Research of standardization of advanced wear-resistant coating materials evaluation method
- Performance evaluation of flexible medium transport system
- Visualization of micro slip
Friction and wear control technology for surface
- Surface texturing of water lubricated ceramics