University jointly organises successful international conference
Global experts in tribotechnology, which measures friction, wear and lubrication, have gathered in Spain at a conference organised by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) to discuss state of the art developments.
Organised by the UCLan Jost Institute for Tribotechnology and IK4 Tekniker in Spain, the Fifth Conference and Exhibition on Lubrication, Maintenance and Tribotechnology (LUBMAT 2016) took place in Bilbao and attracted around 250 engineers from across the globe. The meeting, which normally takes place every two years, set out to discuss the latest state of the art developments and techniques in lubrication, maintenance and tribotechnology and is accompanied by a small exhibition attended by equipment suppliers and training organisations.
Supporting the mission of the Engineering Innovation Centre at UCLan, LUBMAT focuses on the dissemination of knowledge to address industrial and commercial problems of immediate relevance to modern engineers. It covers issues associated with the operation of a wide range of equipment from relatively commonplace small scale items such as individual pumps and compressors, through equipment such as passenger cars, trucks, wind turbines and large ship engines, to entire manufacturing and process plants.
Professor Ian Sherrington, Director of the Jost Institute for Tribotechnology, commented: “This is the fifth conference in the series and probably the biggest yet. The meeting attracts delegates and organisations from all over the world, including the US maintenance giant Noria and the American Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), in addition to representatives from industry reflecting its thematic approach to addressing industrial issues.
“We are proud to stage the event in collaboration with our Spanish partners IK4 Tekniker and look forward to continuing to work together, despite the recent dramatic “Brexit”, to make the next LUBMAT which is scheduled to take place in 2018 at the Palacio Miramar in nearby San Sebastian, an even greater success.”
The opening session of the conference included introductions from Professor Sherrington alongside, Dr Amaya Igartua, Tribology Lead at IK4 Tekniker, and Ms Arantza Tapia, the Industry Minister of the Basque Government.
"We are proud to stage the event in collaboration with our Spanish partners IK4 Tekniker and look forward to continuing to work together, despite the recent dramatic “Brexit”"
Individual conference sessions addressed contemporary issues across a wide range of subjects including; Lubricants and special fluids, condition monitoring, lubrication management, reliability and asset management and tribology. Conference session papers covered a huge range of topics including contemporary issues related to maintenance practices and fault detection as well as a special session on “Industry 4”, focussing on the management of large scale operations through the internet. UCLan staff contributed several papers to the meeting including papers on novel bearing design, internal combustion engine lubrication and active tribology.
Several staff from the School of Engineering were present at the conference, presenting papers and chairing sessions. These included Professor Ted Smith, Dr Hadley Brooks and Dr Gonzalo Garcia Atance Fatjo. For more information about the conference or the Jost Institute for Tribotechnology contact Professor Sherrington on 01772 893322.