Consultancy at the Leonardo Centre

We make our facilities and expertise available for general consultancy work. We aim to provide services to all industry sectors. We are particularly pleased to help SMEs in the local region who need access to specialist facilities and advice.

Ball Bearing
Off
Tribological Testing Facilities (Friction and Wear)
  • Wear testing and wear resistance (using pin-on-disk, and reciprocating testers)
  • Measurement of friction coefficient
  • Measurement of wear and wear resistance
  • Measurement of materials properties (hardness, elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio)
  • Rolling contact fatigue and wear testing (twin disk testing)
  • Measurement and analysis of surface roughness
  • Evaluation hardness testing (micro- & nano-)
  • Lubricant viscosity and rheology
Ultrasonic Measurement of Oil Films and Viscosity
  • Ultrasonic Analysis of Interfaces (stiffness, contact pressure, contact conditions)
  • Lubricant Film Measurement
  • Measurement of viscosity for very small samples
  • In-situ measurement of viscosity in oil films and vessels
Dedicated Component Testing
  • Railway wheel/rail twin disk simulations (including full size)
  • Motor driven engine chain drives
  • Rig motor driven engine cylinder head
  • Valve and seat insert wear/recession
  • Journal bearing and rolling bearing torque, lubrication, and film formation
  • Non-steady dynamically loaded journal bearings
  • Abradeable coatings for aero-components
Theoretical and Modelling Capabilities
  • Contact Modelling and Contact Mechanics Tools
  • RECESS - automotive valve recession simulation
  • RAWSIM - railway wheel wear simulation
  • Surface roughness analysis software
  • Basic lubrication and lubricant film formation prediction
General Consultancy, Trouble Shooting, & Advice
  • Surface/Tribological Failure Diagnosis
  • Selection of Bearings, Lubricants, Wear Resistant Materials
Examples of Recently Competed Work
  • Material selection for polymer bearing in an oil well drilling assembly
  • Evaluation of environmentally acceptable lubricants for large size bearings
  • Development of a water based lubricant for PVC processing
  • Friction testing for polymer bearing materials
  • Hard coating evaluation for food processing applications
  • Materials selection and wear testing for a valve seating system
  • Wear of conveyor track components

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