Page 10 - The Tribology Handbook

Editor's Preface

This second rlwised edition of the Tribology Handbook follows the pattern of the original, first published over twenty years
ago. It aims to provide instant access to essential information on the performance of tribological components, and is aimed
particularly at designers and engineers in industry.
Tribological Components are those which carry all the relative movements in machines. Their performance, therefore,
makes a critical contribution to the reliability and efiiciency of all machines. Also because they are the local areas of
machines, where high forces and rapid movements are transmitted simultaneously, they are also the components most likely
to fail, because of the concentration of energy that they carry. If anything is wrong with a machine or its method of use,
these components are the mechanical fuses, which will indicate the existence of a problem. If this happens, guidance on the
performance that these components would be expected to provide, can be invaluable.
Designers of machines should also find the contents helpful, because they provide an atlas of component performance,
aimed at providing the guidance needed when planning the feasibility of various possible layouts for a machine design.
In a book of this size it is not possible to cover the whole of the technology of tribological components. More focused
design procedures, standards and text books will do this, and hopefully guide engineers in how to get their designs close to
the optimum. In a sense the objective of this handbook is to make sure that they do not get it wrong.
The format of the book is original and has possibly set an example on the presentation of technical information in the
form of an atlas. Like an atlas it is intended to provide guidance on where you are or should be? more or less at a glance,
rather than to be read like a novel from cover to cover. The presentation of information in this form has been quite a
challenge to the contributors who have responded well and the editor would like to record his appreciation of their work and
of all the people who have helped him in the preparation of the book.
The editor, who has spent over forty years solving problems with machinery around the world, has found the information
in this book of tremendous value. He hopes that it will be equally helpful to its readers with both design and problem
solving. For those engineers in countries. who are now moving towards industrialisation, it is hoped, also, that it will
provide a useful summary of the experience of those who have been doing it for a little longer.

Michael NeaIr
Neale Consulting Engineers Ltd
Farnham, Surrey UK