New research platform to provide insights into friction and wear

Inauguration of Wise-EST at LTU. Picture credit: Henrik Örtenvik, LTU.

Through Wise-EST, researchers from Luleå University of Technology and Uppsala University will collaborate to develop new ways of studying friction and wear in real time.

Tribology focuses on what happens when surfaces come into contact and combines physics, chemistry, mechanics, and materials science. The field is essential for developing new technologies, materials, and lubricants, but the processes are often difficult to predict and measure.

“No technology works without first solving tribological problems,” says Roland Larsson, professor at Luleå University of Technology.

The initiative has received SEK 46 million Swedish kronor in funding and includes advanced microscopy equipment and new experimental setups designed to monitor material behavior and contact surfaces as processes occur.

Traditionally, tribology research has relied on post-analysis after experiments are completed. With the new platform, researchers will instead be able to follow processes in real time.

“The idea is that we’ll be able to measure certain parameters as they happen. Today, we often measure afterward, but now we’ll be able to follow the processes in real time. It will be a whole new way to study and understand tribology,” says Jens Hardell, professor at Luleå University of Technology.

During the inauguration, Professor Bo Liedberg from WISE emphasized the importance of collaboration and building strong research environments together.

“I want to congratulate you on this grant. Build your future around accessibility and work for the good of the country. Reach out to colleagues and try to find collaborations within academia, industry, and research institutes. You have fantastic research equipment that you can share,” says Bo Liedberg from WISE.

Industry representatives, including Sandvik, also highlighted the importance of the research. Better understanding friction and wear could improve predictions in applications such as drilling and rock crushing.

Wise-EST is part of the WISE program, funded by the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, which supports research in sustainability, energy transition, and the circular economy.

The platform is also expected to strengthen Luleå University of Technology’s international position in tribology research and support continued world-leading research in the field.