February 4, 2022
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We’re now over a month into the year and it’s at this point that I’m thinking to myself, “where has January gone?”. It sometimes feels as though time is against us but these are the times when we should collect ourselves and sit down to come up with a plan. My biggest challenge when it comes to project management is establishing the initial plan; sitting down to consider all the tasks that must be completed will probably always be a challenge. Getting over this initial hurdle and mapping out what needs doing gives clarity but prioritising is still tough. On reflection, all of these points will make for good development objectives when I undertake more project management training in the coming months.
High-temperature tribology provides numerous challenges for multiple industries whether it be aerospace or for the hot metal forming industry. The hot metal forming industry requires improved lubrication technology to reduce wear and friction of tools whilst meeting strict environmental regulations. Wan et al. provide an overview of inorganic polymers as potential lubricant additives for high temperature tribology targeting hot metal manufacturing.
Abstract:
Hot metal manufacturing process involves high temperature tribology. A class of high temperature lubricants of inorganic polymers have been developed for hot metalworking operations. Borax-, silicate- and polyphosphate-additives are polymeric in nature that deliver the appropriate friction and wear properties, their emergence will help to minimize materials loss, ensure control and stability of the hot metalworking process, and meet ever-increasing demands for surface quality, from the perspective of tribology on an industrial scale. Polyphosphate salt is a cost effective lubricant that can adapt to a wide range of temperatures, while borate can impart very stable friction at the mating surfaces and silicate additives embodies excellent restoration of rubbing surface with less friction. This overview includes much data mainly from the testings at ambient temperature, and scientific evidence is presented to support their effective function at elevated temperature. Some challenges and the potential breakthroughs are further highlighted in high temperature tribology applications.
The increase in electric and hybrid cars in the market is bringing to the forefront the challenges in the tribology and surface engineering for the drivetrains of these vehicles. The graph below shows the relative change in new passenger vehicles by type. Further data on transport provided by Our World in Data can be explored here.
Source: Hannah Ritchie and Max Roser (2020) - "Energy". Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: 'https://ourworldindata.org/energy' [Online Resource]
Connected Papers is a fascinating tool allowing you to get a visual overview of new academic fields, helps to keep you up to date with papers and generate bibliographies. The information is easy to sort through in an interactive network diagram. Excellent for making sure you never miss key literature!
“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail” – Benjamin Franklin