Progress in Tribology Through Integrated Simulations and Experiments

Excerpt

Understanding and then predicting interfacial phenomena is much easier said than done. A significant challenge is that progress in tribology invariably requires the use of both experiment and theory. Experimental measurements shows trends and patterns, but often cannot directly reveal the mechanisms underlying those trends. Modeling and simulations can provide mechanistic insights, but must be validated by experiment. Unfortunately, experimental methods and numerical techniques have gained such sophistication that it is often very difficult for a single research group to be proficient at both. As a result, experimentalists and theorists often work independently, and may not even use the same terminology to describe a given phenomenon. In addition, there are often disconnects between the expectations one group has of the other. Albert Einstein described this sentiment well:

“You make experiments and I make theories. Do you know the difference? A theory is something nobody believes, except the person who made it. An experiment is something everybody believes, except the person who made it.” Albert Einstein [1]

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