Page 3 - FLI 2013 - 4th Quarter

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FUELS & LUBES INTERNATIONAL Quarter Four 2013
“Jost noted that today,
tribology has branched
into ecotribology,
biotribology and
nanotribology. ”
Vicky Villena-Denton
Editor-in-Chief & Publisher
Editorial 编者语
在我的工作中，最有趣的部分是见证历史的发展。九月份在意大利图灵召开的世界摩擦学大会
（WTC）上，国际摩擦学理事会（ITC）的理事长Peter Jost宣布ITC将在9月24日庆贺其成立40周年。他回顾
了四十年前成立理事会的原因，并解释了这些理由至今依然成立。
有趣的是，四十年后，摩擦学（tribology）依然不是一个广为人知的术语。当我向普通人提起我出席
了大会，他们的第一反应总是：什么是摩擦学？摩擦学这个词是在1964年由英国物理学家David Tabor创造
的。它源自希腊语“tribo”，即“我摩擦”。简而言之，摩擦学就是研究摩擦和磨损的科学。更高雅而准确的定义
是：研究相对运动的表面之间相互作用的科学。
同时，看着这门学科的发展演变也非常有趣。Jost说，今天，摩擦学已发展并衍生出生态摩擦学、生物
摩擦学和纳米摩擦学。前者又称绿色摩擦学，是生态平衡及对生物影响摩擦方面的科学技术。
在WTC的讨论环节，来自印度班加罗尔的教授介绍了他对绿色润滑剂的定义。他说，简单讲，如果有
一种你可以喝了不会死的润滑剂，这就是绿色润滑剂。这么说可能有点夸张，因为这些液体并不是给人喝
的，但这种表述确实也说到了根本点。
本期的封面文章与交酯（estolide）有关，这是一种以植物油和动物油为原料生产的可再生功能液，被
称为一种突破性的技术。Biosynthetic Technologies的董事长兼CEO Allen Barbieri希望，终有一天，每升
合成发动机油中都含有交酯。
One of the most interesting aspects of my job is witnessing history in the making. At the recent
World Tribology Congress (WTC) in Turin, Italy, in September, Peter Jost, president of the International
Tribology Council (ITC), announced that the ITC was celebrating its 40th anniversary on September 24.
He promptly reviewed the reasons for ITC’s formation 40 years ago and discussed why it continues to be
relevant today.
Interestingly, 40 years later, tribology is still not a well-known term. When I mentioned that I was
attending this conference to ordinary people, the first question that always popped up was: What is
tribology? Tribology was coined in 1964 by Jost and British physicist David Tabor. It is derived from the
Greek word“tribo,”which means I rub. In short, tribology is the science of friction and wear. A more
elegant and exact definition is that it is the science of interacting surfaces in relative motion.
It is also interesting to note how this branch of science has evolved. Jost noted that today,
tribology has branched into ecotribology, biotribology and nanotribology. The former, which is also
referred to as green tribology, is defined as the science and technology of the tribological aspects of
ecological balance and environmental and biological impact.
During a panel discussion at WTC, a professor from Bangalore, India, shared his definition of a
green lubricant. Simply, he said, a lubricant is green if you can drink it and it doesn’t kill you. That may be
a bit extreme, as these oils are not meant for human consumption, but he does drive home his point
effectively.
Our cover article is about estolides, which are new functional fluids made from renewable
vegetable and animal-based oils, which has been described as a novel disruptive technology.
Biosynthetic Technologies’Chairman and CEO Allen Barbieri hopes that one day every liter of synthetic
motor oil has estolides in it.
国际摩擦学理事会庆祝成立40周年
International Tribology
Council celebrates 40 years