Strategy for energy conservation through tribology

Tribology is defined as an interdisciplinary science that deals with the physical, chemical, and metallurigal phenomena of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It is concerned with studies of lubrication, friction, wear and the properties of lubricants and bearing materials. A study was conducted to determine the energy conservation potential of tribology research and development programs related to equipment for road transportation, power generation, turbomachinery, and industrial machinery. The study determined that funding of the recommended R and D plan and implementation of its findings offer the potential of conserving up to one tenth of the total U.S. energy consumption. In terms of the 1976 energy expenditure rate based on oil at $12/bbl, this represents a saving of over $16 billion; or nearly one and a half billion bbl of oil per year. Not included in these figures is the payoff in the areas of raw material usage, life of machinery, manufacturing costs, etc., which ultimately translates into substantial additional savings of energy and other national resources. (LCL)