Tribology
2008
The South African Institute of Tribology
held their Ninth International Conference, Tribology 2008, at the
University of Pretoria from 2 – 4 April 2008
TRIBOLOGY 2008: POST MORTEM - CHAIRMAN'S
REPORT
| Tribology 2008 Gallery (Click on thumbnail
for larger view) |
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The 9th International Tribology Conference of the
SAIT was
an important event on the calendar of the SAIT
and certainly also on the calendars of those interested in tribology.
It is always important to analyse the event and
to confirm whether all expectations had been met – taking
into account the fact that such a wide variety of expectations had
to be met.
Firstly, the event was intended to attract speakers
of international standing. The two plenary speakers, Prof John Williams
from the University of Cambridge and Prof Thierry Blanchet from
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, certainly paved the way for the
22 other speakers from abroad. This sets an all-time record for
the number of overseas presenters. Papers by presenters from Botswana,
the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, India, Finland, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Sweden, the UK and the USA, ensured a truly international
representation, which was supplemented by local presenters.
Secondly, the event was intended to provide local
presenters with an opportunity to report on their work. Of the local
presentations, about half originated from South African universities
and the rest from our industries. Although we could listen to only
8 papers from local industry, they were representative of our mining,
automotive, power generation and lubricants industries, to name
a few. The remaining 10 came from three of our universities –
a sure sign that Tribology is not just a name, but rests on a solid
foundation, slowly but surely growing just the way it was envisaged
a long time ago by those pioneers of this exciting field of engineering.
The organisers wish to extend their gratitude to each presenter
who contributed to make this event a memorable one.
The third important element concerned delegates,
where we achieved what we intended, namely to continue attracting
more participants than the previous event. We again managed to increase
the attendance, confirming that the SAIT is alive and well and that
our local industry needs an event like this.
There was again excellent support form sponsors,
both local and overseas. Whether the papers presented satisfied
the needs of the delegates is a matter that the SAIT would like
to receive feedback on. Clearly, the field of tribology encompasses
much more than lubrication and wear. Going through the proceedings,
I am sure that even the most critical delegate would have to admit
that a lot is to be learned from experts in their respective fields
and that, although not necessarily spot-on, many presentations contained
something for everybody to enhance our common interest towards understanding
more about the intricacies of surfaces in relative motion.
Looking through the topics presented, materials-oriented
tribologists as well as those with a tendency towards lubricants
and lubricated surfaces had a wide choice. Tribology has now also
moved into the fields of micromachines and biosystems, as several
papers presented so aptly illustrated.
With a total of 42 papers presented over the three
days of the conference, with parallel sessions in the afternoon,
delegates had the opportunity to select those closest to their specific
fields of interest.
Adding to this the opportunity to meet with delegates
from all over the world, the real value of an international conference
could be experienced: meeting and discussing matters of mutual interest.
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