Challenges at the Buried Interface

Tribology is the study of interacting surfaces in relative motion and encompasses the fields of friction, lubrication and wear. It impacts nearly every aspect of our daily lives and is essential to technological applications with moving parts. Tribology is by nature a highly interdisciplinary field. Researchers address atomic interactions at sliding interfaces and earthquake dynamics on tectonic faults. Applications include improving car engines, hip joints and cosmetics, shrinking devices to micrometer and nanometer scales, and expanding the range of temperatures, speeds, and chemical environments where devices operate. The Gordon Conference on Tribology has a long tradition of bringing together researchers with a wide range of backgrounds, techniques, and applications for lively discussions and exchange of new ideas on how to address the complex problems tribology presents.

Many of the great challenges in tribology require an improved understanding of the buried interface that transmits forces between sliding solids. The chemistry and geometry of bearing surfaces and any lubricant between them play a critical role in friction and wear, but are difficult to access experimentally and evolve with time and sliding distance. The 2010 Gordon Research Conference will highlight cutting-edge experiments, theories and computer simulations that reveal new information about the buried interface and its relation to friction, lubrication and wear. Talks will also address methods for controlling and optimizing interfacial properties and lubricants, including strategies used by biological organisms and in medical applications. Invited speakers will represent the forefront of fundamental and applied research in a wide range of disciplines at universities, government laboratories and industrial laboratories. Their presentations will be complemented by lively interactions through programmed discussion sessions, poster sessions and informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings. These forums will facilitate cross-fertilization between fields and exchange of new ideas in an open, collegial atmosphere.