Breakthrough in tribology: Making extremely thin lubricating films predictable

Extension of the Reynolds Equation by a Non-linear Wall Slip Law

13-Dec-2023 - Many tribological systems are operated at their load limits for reasons of efficiency. Lubrication gaps are becoming narrower and lubricating films must withstand greater loads. For the reliable design of such systems, development and construction depend on precise calculation methods. However, ...

New images lead to better prediction of shear thickening

It's relevant to everything from oil & gas to pharma manufacturing to food processing to chemical manufacturing

11-Oct-2021 - For the first time, researchers have been able capture images providing unprecedented details of how particles behave in a liquid suspension when the phenomenon known as shear thickening takes place. The work allows us to directly understand the processes behind shear thickening, which had ...

Shall they go with the flow?

If and how a polymeric solution will flow in a nanoporous material

18-Dec-2020 - Printing with an ink-jet printer is part of daily life, but the same technology finds more complex applications in electronics and in protein separation. These applications, considered futuristic only few decades ago, rely on the quality of the printing process which depends on the flow of the ...

Artificial Intelligence has learned to estimate oil viscosity

Indirect measurements are a lucky alternative for a variety of sectors

09-Nov-2020 - A group of Skoltech scientists developed machine learning (ML) algorithms that can teach artificial intelligence (AI) to determine oil viscosity based on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data. The new method can come in handy for the petroleum industry and other sectors, which have to rely on ...

Inexpensive, non-toxic nanofluid could be a game-changer for oil recovery

The nanofluid is made from commercially available sodium using household blender

15-Sep-2020 - Researchers from the University of Houston have demonstrated that an inexpensive and non-toxic nanofluid can be used to efficiently recover even heavy oil with high viscosity from reservoirs. The nanofluid, made in a common household blender using commercially available sodium, allowed for ...

Digitizing chemistry with a smart stir bar

A magnetic stirrer bar with an integrated process monitoring system

24-Jul-2020 - Miniaturized computer systems and wireless technology are offering scientists new ways to keep tabs on reactions without the need for larger, cumbersome equipment. In a proof-of-concept study in ACS Sensors, researchers describe an inexpensive new device that functions like a conventional ...

Characterizing and designing lubricants on the computer

Computational models based on molecular structure properties

15-Apr-2020 - Lubricated shafts, bearings and gears only run 'like clockwork' when the components slide on a perfect lubricating film, generating as little friction, wear and energy loss as possible. To achieve this, engineers need to know the behavior of the lubricant film in the so-called tribo-contact, ...

It all comes down to roughness

How the surface characteristics of microspheres affect rapid increases in the viscosity of suspensions

04-May-2018 - Lucio Isa and his team of researchers have explained how the surface characteristics of microspheres affect rapid increases in the viscosity of suspensions, thus laying the groundwork for applications such as smoothly flowing cement. The internet is full of videos of people having fun running ...

Through thick and thin

Decades-old fluid question solved

24-Apr-2018 - What do paint, dishwasher detergent, ketchup and blood have in common? All are composed of particles suspended in a carrier liquid and flow when stirred or forced, but remain thick or even gel-like at rest. That very useful behavior in complex fluids is called shear thinning: their viscosity ...

Waters and Malvern Panalytical collaborate to improve polymer characterization

18-Jan-2018 - Waters Corporation announced that it entered into a co-marketing agreement with Malvern Panalytical to advance the analysis of polymers. By pairing the Waters ® ACQUITY ® Advanced Polymer Chromatography ® (APC ™ ) System with Malvern Panalytical’s OMNISEC ® REVEAL , R&D scientists can access ...