A tribosystem is a
tribological system that consists of at least two contacting bodies and any environmental factor that affects their interaction.
Tribologists study tribological systems in detail, and devise tribological test procedures.
Definition
According t
ASTM G40-17 a tribosystem is "any system that contains one or more triboelements, including all mechanical, chemical, and environmental factors relevant to tribological behavior."
Here, ''triboelement'' refers to "one of two or more solid bodies that comprise a
sliding
Sliding may refer to:
*Sliding (dance), also floating or gliding, a group of footwork-oriented dance techniques
*Slide (baseball), an attempt by a baseball runner to avoid getting tagged out
*Sliding (motion)
See also
*Slide (disambiguation)
*Sli ...
,
rolling, or
abrasive
An abrasive is a material, often a mineral, that is used to shape or finish a workpiece through rubbing which leads to part of the workpiece being worn away by friction. While finishing a material often means polishing it to gain a smooth, reflec ...
contact, or a body subjected to impingement or
cavitation
Cavitation is a phenomenon in which the static pressure of a liquid reduces to below the liquid's vapour pressure, leading to the formation of small vapor-filled cavities in the liquid. When subjected to higher pressure, these cavities, cal ...
."
More simply speaking, a tribosystem is a tribological system that consists of at least two contacting bodies, including the environment in which the interaction takes place.
The complete description of a tribosystem includes all relevant factors that govern the tribological behavior of the system. Thus, depending on the aim of the tribological analysis, the tribosystem boundary is flexible and can be drawn more or less widely.
Describing Tribosystems
The description of tribosystems is based on a detailed assessment of relevant system inputs, outputs and losses, as well as an overall description of the system structure.
The following table gives an overview.
Relevance
The complete description of a tribosystem is the first step when devising a tribological test procedure. Since tribological tests are often carried out on simplified model systems using standardized
tribometers, a complete description of the tribosystem allows for tribological testing across different scales.
For example, if the tribological analysis aims to investigate a specific gear contact in a complex
gearbox
Propulsion transmission is the mode of transmitting and controlling propulsion power of a machine. The term ''transmission'' properly refers to the whole drivetrain, including clutch, gearbox, prop shaft (for rear-wheel drive vehicles), diffe ...
, exact knowledge of tribological inputs allows tribologists to devise a simplified test setup involving two gears only. Conversely, if the analysis aims to develop a new lubricant formulation for gearbox applications, a rough description of the gearbox-tribosystem allows to reduce testing to relevant system inputs. Thus, detailed knowledge of the tribosystem can significantly reduce the development effort for
machines and
lubricants.
References
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Tribology