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by Dirk Bartel (Guest Editor)
In today's world of ever-increasing energy demands, combined with an environmentally and cost-driven desire to conserve resources, friction and wear are becoming increasingly important. To avoid friction and wear, save energy, protect the environment, and improve the performance of machines and systems, lubrication is one of the most effective strategies. However, design measures, new materials and coatings, a better understanding of the fundamental tribological relationships, and the predictability of tribological systems also make decisive contributions toward environmentally compatible and efficient machines and systems, with the goals of having lower energy consumption in the utilization phase, less wear, and the longer service life of mechanical systems.
The visibility of German tribology is internationally characterized by the automotive industry and mechanical engineering. Despite its basic orientation, tribological research is always focused on products and machine elements like rolling and journal bearings, gears, and elastomers. Currently, tribological work is concentrating on topics such as sustainability, raw material availability, the reduction in emissions in the use phase, recyclability, defossilization in mobility and industry, and digitalization. With the 65th anniversary of the GfT, this Special Issue presents the latest tribological research and developments in Germany, with 21 insightful contributions.
