Reference
Knowledge
The engineering encyclopedia — concepts, worked examples and real failure analyses from four decades of practice. Content is preserved from the original site; only the presentation is modernized.
Tribology
Adhesion in dry rubbing metal–metal contactsMeasured friction and wear for dry metal pairs against bearing steel, and why high-shear materials give the highest friction.Aquaplaning as full hydrodynamic lubricationAquaplaning explained as a case of full-film hydrodynamic lubrication between tyre and road.Calculation of wear rateA common used equation to compute the wear rate is (Archard,1953)...Combustion engine lubrication system.The lubrication of the cylinder liner, the piston, the piston rings, the cams / camshaft and the rod bearing.Formula one racing — why are the tyres so wide?FORMULA ONE RACING The first classical law of friction states: “The size of the contact surface does not influence the friction”. Why, then, are tires for the Formula 1 racing…Formula one racing — carbon-fibre composite brake disksFORMULA ONE RACING Braking is one of the biggest strengths of a Formula One car. The brake disks of Formula 1 cars are made of a composite material reinforced with carbon fibre.…Grease lubricationHow grease lubricates, when to prefer it over oil, and the basics of grease selection.High performance Polymers / engineering polymers.Physical properties of hard wearing low friction polymers.History of science frictionLeonardo Da Vinci (1452-1519), Guillaume Amontons (1663-1705), Charles August Coulomb (1736-1806)How to measure the coefficient of frictionPractical methods and pitfalls in measuring the coefficient of friction between surfaces.Oil=Oil?Industrial oils / Engine oils / additives and specialty oils.Pin-on-ring test rig.The standard configuration for tribology research on materials, coatings and lubricants.Screw lubricationLubricant selection for screw drives and screw joints, lubselectSolid lubricantsSolid lubricants — graphite, MoS₂, PTFE and coatings — and where each is used.The Stribeck curve vs the transition diagramThe Stribeck curve and how it relates to the lubrication regimes and the transition diagram.Viscosity classificationsISO VG, SAE and other viscosity classifications for lubricants, and how they relate.Cone-on-plate viscometer spindle range (Brookfield)Cone angle, spindle radius and viscosity measurement range for the six spindles of the Brookfield Cap 1000/2000 cone-on-plate viscometer.Cylinder viscometer spindle dimensions (Brookfield)Disc and cylindrical spindle dimensions (C, D) for the Brookfield cylinder viscometer, with the LV spindle speed range.Lubricant selectionWhat's the best lubricant? A checklist of the factors that actually decide it — lubrication regime, viscosity index, boundary lubricity, oxidation stability and more.Machine lubrication — an integrated approachWhy lubricant selection depends on the lubrication regime, changing environmental and performance requirements, and a coherent maintenance plan — not the lubricant alone.
Bearings
Gas bearings
Failure analysis
Failure analysis: rail contactRolling-contact fatigue and wear at the wheel–rail interface, read from the damaged surface.How toFrequently Asked Questions in Machine designISO failure mode classification for bearing damageThe ISO classification of rolling-bearing damage modes, with the visual signatures of each.ISO failure mode classification for gears (ISO 10825)Gear failure modes per ISO 10825 — pitting, wear, scuffing and fracture — and how to tell them apart.
General
Calculator compressed air energy storageAdiabatic expansion, isothermal expansion, compressed air driven cars, air carsFormula one racing, material reliability and high performance are essentialFORMULA ONE RACING In Formula one racing, material reliability and great performance are essential. How is it, for example, that one team experiences several engine blow-ups in…Formula one racing, material reliability and high performance are essentialFORMULA ONE RACING In Formula one racing, material reliability and great performance are essential. How is it, for example, that one team experiences several engine blow-ups in…Hard disk/ slider disk interface.The flying height between the head and the hard disk.Shear modulus of common materialsModulus of shear (rigidity) G for seven common materials, and the shear yield strength relative to the tensile yield strength for ductile versus brittle materials.Maintenance management — a means to save costsCondition-monitoring-based maintenance management, and the concrete benefits it delivers: less unscheduled downtime, longer part life, fewer waste-oil costs.Design considerations of reliable screw jointsWhy a reliable screw joint is designed so the screw fails before the thread strips, how the standard nut height (0.75d effective engagement) follows from the shear/tensile strength ratio, and a worked example.
Reference tables
ISO 286-2ISO Tolerances (ISO 286-2) — full deviation tables for holes and shaftsISO 724Metric Screw Thread Dimensions (ISO 724) — coarse and fine pitch, tap-drill sizesUNC / UNFUNC/UNF Screw Thread Dimensions — major diameter, threads per inch and pitch for every standard inch sizeRe / RmMechanical Properties of Metals and Alloys — Re, Rm, hardness and elongation for steel, cast iron, bronze and fastenersModule (m)Gear Normal Module (m) Preferred Number Series — NEN 1630, DIN 780, ISO 54α (Roelands)Viscosity-Pressure Coefficients (α) for Lubricants — Roelands (1966) and Evans (1983)CoatingsSurface Coating & Treatment Process Selection Matrix — 25 processes, substrate suitability and resulting propertiesEN ↔ NLTechnical glossary — English ↔ Dutch — Anton van Beek’s own ~2,700-term terminology reference