Dr. Ilya Kudish, professor of Mathematics at Kettering University, an American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Fellow, has been appointed associate editor of the ASME Journal of Tribology, a quarterly publication. The ASME Journal is a prestigious worldwide journal focused on Tribology.

In a nutshell, the word Tribology means the science of friction, lubrication and wear. The journal features a mix of experimental, numerical, and theoretical articles dealing with all aspects of the field, including: friction and wear, fluid film lubrication, elastohydrodynamic lubrication, surface properties and characterization, contact mechanics, gears, metalworking, lubricants, and artificial joints.

"It's a lot of work," Kudish said of the appointment that followed his being named an ASME Fellow by only a few months. As associate editor, a position he will hold for three years, Kudish has to control and direct review process of research papers in his or adjacent field of expertise (lubrication, contact and crack mechanics, fatigue and wear). Furthermore, he routinely reviews papers for ASME J. of Tribology, STLE Tribology Transactions and Journal of Wear. In 2005 he has reviewed about 13 papers for ASME J. of Tribology and STLE Tribology Transactions and as an Associate Editor directed reviews of 15 papers in his and related fields of Tribology.

In the role he is responsible for determining who will do the peer review of the work presented. He then must decide if the article is going to be published in the Journal of Tribology and in which form, whether is will be sent back for revision or denied outright. "It requires a lot of coordination of effort," he said.

His recent publications include four papers, two in a STLE Tribology Transactions and two in the proceedings of conference-related publications for presentations he made on modeling of mechanically induced lubricant degradation, its effect on contact fatigue, and elastohydrodynamic lubrication.

The word Tribology comes from the Greek tribos, meaning rubbing.
In any machine there are lots of component parts that operate by
rubbing together. Some examples are bearings, gears, cams and tappets,
tires, brakes, and piston rings. All of these components have two surfaces
which come into contact, support a load, and move with respect to each
other. Sometimes it is desirable to have low friction, to save energy,
or high friction, as in the case of brakes. Usually, having components
to wear is undesirable so, they are lubricated.

The study of friction, wear, lubrication and contact mechanics are
all important parts of Tribology. Related aspects are surface engineering
(the modification of a component's surface to improve its function,
for example by applying a surface coating), surface roughness,
and rolling contact fatigue (where repeated contact causes fatigue
to occur). From the website of the Department of
Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, England.

In addition to taking on the role of Journal associate editor, Kudish spent a month in Cardiff, Wales, collaborating on a project related to lubrication fatigue of rough surfaces with Dr. Pwt Evans, professor of Mechanical Engineering at Cardiff University.

Evans invited Kudish to Cardiff to collaborate on the research and speak at the University of Cardiff and at the London Imperial College. Also, he visited and had discussions with the leading tribologists at Universities of Leeds and of Sheffield, England. Kudish did mathematical modeling of contact fatigue for the numerical results of Evans' lab theoretical modeling of lubrication conditions in contacts of rough surfaces in gears, bearings and machine joints. "Not much research has been done with rough surfaces to evaluate lubrication patterns and their effect on fatigue," said Kudish, "it is not easy to evaluate fatigue of rough surfaces, even the notion of a loading cycle requires a definition that is not clear cut." The results of their collaboration should be the subject of a forthcoming paper.

Written by Dawn Hibbard
810-762-9865
dhibbard@kettering.edu