Dr Roger Lewis
MEng, PhD, CEng, MIMechE
Reader in Mechanical Engineering
Third Year MEng Tutor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 114 222 7838
Fax: +44 (0) 114 222 7890
email : Roger.Lewis@sheffield.ac.uk
Profile
Dr Roger Lewis became a lecturer in the Department in 2002 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2006, before becoming a Reader in 2011. He graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1996 with an MEng in Mechanical Engineering and continued to work at Sheffield towards a PhD in the Tribology Research Group. He then had posts as a Research Associate and Teaching Fellow in the Department.
In 2001 he was awarded the Tribology Trust Bronze Medal and in 2003 received a Brian Mercer Award for Innovation from the Royal Society. He also received the Institute of Physics Innovation in Tribology Prize in 2008. He is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the IMechE. He is also currently Chairman of the IMechE Tribology Group.
Roger has recently edited an essential guide to wheel/rail contacts issues, 'The Wheel/Rail Interface Handbook' which is published by Woodhead.
Areas of Research
Roger's research interests are split into three areas: solving industrial wear problems; application and development of a novel ultrasonic technique for machine element contact analysis and design of engineering components and machines. The research themes are wide ranging, but the main focus is on:
Railway Engineering
- Wheel/rail contact tribology – including wear (wheel profile evolution), RCF, friction management (use of top of rail friction modifiers; grease lubrication and traction gels), isolation and links to effective train detection
- Rail infrastructure improvement – including laser cladding of rail to reduce wear/RCF; design and testing of insulated rail joints; overhead line wear testing
- Condition monitoring – including real-time measurement of the wheel/rail contact; force measurement and detection of loosening in bolted joints.
Human Interactions
- Fundamental characterization and modelling of skin friction including use of OCT to determine sub-surface skin strain
- Hand/object interactions – including kitchen equipment, sports equipment etc. and effects that wearing medical examination gloves has on dexterity, grip and tactile discrimination
- Human tissue interaction with medical devices including catheters
- Pedestrian slips and falls, particularly barefoot slips and characterisation of flooring performance
- Multi-scale modelling of skin to incorporate effects of moisture and temperature to optimise design of medical products that interface with skin.
Current Research Projects
- RSSB project with Halcrow on optimising rail sanders (with D. I. Fletcher) - Jul 2012-Nov 2012, £35,000
- TSB Rail Innovation Project with Laser Cladding Ltd, Tata and Sandvik to develop laser cladding solutions for application to railway track (with D.I. Fletcher) - Jul 2012-Dec 2013, £100,000
- Philips Research grant to support a PhD studentship on Multi-Scale Modelling of Skin (with J. Rowson) - Oct 2011-Sept 2014, £30,000
- KTP with Portec Rail to develop new test methods and designs for insulated rail joints (with M. B. Marshall) - June 2011-Dec 2013, £159,090
- Network Rail funded project to study wheel/rail contact issues - Oct 2011-Sept 2014, £61,562
- Wellstream funded project to study oil riser component interactions - Oct 2010-Sept 2013, £30,000
- EPSRC grant, "High-speed multi-channel 3-D OCT studies of the biomechanics of skin friction", supported by Philips and Unilever (with Steve Matcher, Materials Science & Engineering, Matt Carré, Mechanical Engineering & Mike Cork, Dermatology research) - £700,000
- KTP with Mechan to develop a hoist with heave compensation for use on offshore platforms (with T. J. Slatter) - Sept 2012-Aug 2014, £120,000
- Rolls-Royce funded project to investigate new coatings and treatments for anti-seize in threaded fasteners (with M. B. Marshall and R. S. Dwyer-Joyce) - Jan 2012-June 2012, £55,000
- Network Rail funded project to experimentally evaluate scrubbing techniques to improve grinding performance (with M. B. Marshall and K. Ridgway) - Mar-Sept 2012, £58,916
• UNITISS, EC funded Marie Curie project in collaboration with Philips Research in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, and the West Pomeranian University of Technology, Poland, to investigate interactions between human tissue and medical devices (with S. MacNeil and M. J. Carré) - Mar 2012-Feb 2016, £270,000 - SUSTRAIL, EC funded project to develop more sustainable rail freight solutions (with D. I. Fletcher) - July 2011-June 2015, £335,004
- Unilever funded project to characterise performance of new abrasive particles in toothpaste (with R. S. Dwyer-Joyce) - Jan 2010-Dec 2012, £96,000
Current Teaching
Dr Lewis currently teaches design to first, third and fourth years. He led the development of a ground breaking interdisciplinary sustainable design project based on local live development sites. This involves Civil and Structural Engineering, Architecture, Town and Regional Planning and Landscape. Dr Lewis has won three University of Sheffield Senate Teaching Awards for his innovation in teaching methods.
Selected Publications
Railway Engineering
- Application of Fastsim with variable coefficient of friction using twin disc experimental measurements,
Rovira, A., Roda, A., Lewis, R. & Marshall, M. B. (2012),
Wear, 274-275, pp. 109-126,
Available online - A laboratory investigation of the influence of the particle size and slip on adhesion and wear in the wheel-rail contact,
Arias-Cuevas, O., Li, Z. & Lewis, R. (2011),
Wear, 271, pp. 14-24,
Available online - Experimental and numerical modelling of wheel-rail contact and wear,
Rovira, A., Roda, A., Marshall, M. B., Brunskill, H. & Lewis, R. (2011),
Wear, 271(5-6), pp. 911-924,
Available online - Investigating the lubricity and electrical insulation caused by sanding in dry wheel-rail contacts,
Arias-Cuevas, O., Li, Z. & Lewis, R. (2010),
Tribology Letters, 37(3), pp. 623-635,
Available online - A study on wear evaluation of railway wheels based on multibody dynamics and wear computation,
Pombo, J., Ambrósio, J., Pereira, M., Lewis, R., Dwyer-Joyce, R. S., Ariaudo, C. & Kuka, N. (2010),
Multi-Body System Dynamics, 24(3), pp. 347-366,
Available online - Rolling-sliding laboratory tests of friction modifiers in leaf contaminated wheel-rail contacts,
Li, Z., Arias-Cuevas, O., Lewis, R. & Gallardo-Hernández, E. A. (2009),
Tribology Letters, 33(2), pp. 97-109,
Available online - Twin disc assessment of wheel/rail adhesion,
Gallardo-Hernandez, E. A. & Lewis, R. (2008),
Wear, 265(9-10), pp. 1309-1316,
Available online - A mathematical model to predict railway wheel profile evolution due to wear,
Braghin, F., Lewis, R., Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. & Bruni, S. (2006),
Wear, 261(11-12), pp. 1253-1264,
Available online - Temperature in a twin-disc wheel/rail contact simulation,
Gallardo-Hernandez, E. A., Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2006),
Tribology International, 39(12), pp. 1653-1663,
Available online - Wear at the wheel/rail interface when sanding is used to increase adhesion,
Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2006),
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 220(1), pp. 29-41,
Available online - Static wheel/rail contact isolation due to track contamination,
Lewis, R. & Masing, J. (2006),
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 220(1), pp. 43-53,
Available online - Experimental characterization of wheel-rail contact patch evolution,
Marshall, M. B., Lewis, R., Dwyer-Joyce, R. S., Olofsson, U., and Björklund, S. (2006),
Journal of Tribology, 128(3), pp. 493-504,
Available online - Wear mechanisms and transitions in railway wheel steels,
Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2004),
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, 218(6), pp. 467-478,
Available online - Mapping rail wear regimes and transitions,
Lewis, R. & Olofsson, U. (2004),
Wear, 257(7-8), pp. 721-729,
Available online - An ultrasonic approach for contact stress mapping in machine joints and concentrated contacts,
Marshall, M. B., Lewis, R., Drinkwater, B. W. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2004),
Journal of Strain Analysis for Engineering Design, 39(4), pp. 339-350.
Available online
Human Interactions
- Human Finger Contact With Small, Triangular Ridged Surfaces,
Tomlinson, S. E., Carré, M. J., Lewis, R. & Franklin, S. E. (2011),
Wear, 271, pp. 2346-2353. - Understanding the effect of finger-ball friction on the handling performance of rugby balls,
Tomlinson, S. E., Lewis, R., Ball, S., Yoxall, A. & Carré, M. J. (2009),
Sports Engineering, 11(3), pp. 109-118,
Available online - The effect of normal force and roughness on friction in human finger contact,
Tomlinson, S. E., Lewis, R. & Carré, M. J. (2009),
Wear, 267(5-8), pp. 1311-1318,
Available online - Particle motion and stain removal during simulated abrasive tooth cleaning,
Lewis, R., Barber, S. C., and Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2007),
Wear, 263(1-6), pp. 188-197,
Available online - Interactions between toothbrush and toothpaste particles during simulated abrasive cleaning,
Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2006),
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, 220(8), pp. 755-765,
Available online - Wear of human teeth: a tribological perspective,
Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2005),
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, 219(1), pp. 1-18,
Available online
Automotive Tribology
- The influence of laser hardening on wear in the valve and valve seat contact,
Slatter, T., Taylor, H., Lewis, R. & King, P. (2009), Wear, 267(5-8), pp. 797-806,
Available online - Effect of soot on oil properties and wear of engine components,
Green, D. A. & Lewis, R. (2007),
Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, 40(18), pp. 5488-5501,
Available online - Wear effects and mechanisms of soot-contaminated automotive lubricants,
Green, D. A., Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2006),
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J: Journal of Engineering Tribology, 220(3), pp. 159-169,
Available online - Combating automative engine valve recession,
Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2003),
Tribology and Lubrication Technology, 59(10), pp. 48-51,
Available online
General Tribology
- Solid particle erosion caused by rice grains,
Camacho, J., Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2009),
Wear, 267(1-4), pp. 223-232,
Available online - Coating and treatment solutions for rolling/sliding component contacts,
Gallardo, E. A. & Lewis, R. (2009),
Wear, 267(5-8), pp. 1009-1021,
Available online - Wear of stone used to manufacture axes in the Neolithic settlement at Makriyalos in Northern Greece,
Lewis, R., Rahim, M., Cripps, J., Roubos, V., and Tsoraki, C. (2009),
Wear, 267(5-8), pp. 1325-1332,
Available online - Solid particle erosion caused by rice grains,
Camacho, J., Lewis, R., and Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2009),
Wear, 267(1-4), pp. 223-232.
Online (journal subscription required) - Characterisation of contact pressure distribution in bolted joints,
Marshall, M. B., Lewis, R. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2006),
Strain, 42(1), pp. 31-43,
Available online - Measurement of interface pressure in interference fits,
Lewis, R., Marshall, M. B. & Dwyer-Joyce, R. S. (2005),
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 219(2), pp. 127-139,
Available online