Tribology was formalized by the Jost report. The Jost report formally a report on “Lubrication (Tribology) Education and Research” organized and presented to the UK government 9 March 1966 by Dr. Peter H. Jost. This paper coins the term Tribology and quantifies the saving that can happen when using sound tribological concepts. That is by understanding friction, wear, and lubrication. But tribology was understood long before the Jost report. The engineering foundation for modern bearing design, elastohydrodynamic theory (EHL), was formulated in the mid-1900’s. Stribeck’s curve dates from the early 1900’s. Hydrodynamic theory and Reynolds fluid mechanics both date from the late 1800’s. Drake drills his oil well in Titusville in 1859. Rolling elements were patented around the turn of the 19th century. Then came the giants in science:
- Coulomb publishes laws of friction 1770’s
- Euler mathematically describes friction 1740’s
- Desanguliers describes adhesion as friction 1710’s
- Amontons measured friction 1680’s
- Of Course Newton’s Principia 1680’s
- Then there was DaVinci who developed 2 laws of friction 1480’s
Before that it is known that Chariot wheels were being lubricated with animal fats ca. 1400 BCE. The iconic Tribologists’ image of Egyptians using lubrication was ca. 2400 BCE. The wheel was invented ca. 8000 BCE which by design included a wooden journal bearing.
No, we need to go further back in time to find when humans first used tribology. Some time before 50000 BCE humans were making fire from the resulting frictional heating of rubbing two sticks together.
If you want to learn more about Tribology please consider the Tribology Workshop at the University of Akron.
