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Mechanics and chemistry in lubrication
Railway Traction The Principles of Mechanical and Electrical Railway Traction. Studies in Mechanical Engineering, 5. H. L Andrews Railways have always enjoyed wide public appeal, both as a means of transport and for leisure activities. A book on Railway Traction written by such an experienced and distinguished railway engineer as Dr Ivan Andrews will therefore be welcomed by many, be they railway enthusiasts, professionals of either engineering or the transport industry, economists or people concerned with energy resources, or those in search of a challenging career. As an industry the railways are almost unique as a mine of fascinating problems.
wheels of a locomotive rubbing against the steel rails reaching a temperature at which 'welding' could take place is stretching the point and contradicts a number of experimental facts. It also leaves out of account the vast heat sink that locomotive wheels and steel rails represent. Whatever the answer to this fundamental question may be, the established practical fact is that one locomotive can pull 50 loaded wagons. Those who in the days of steam traction stood on a frosty winter morning on the platform of a railway station and watched the slipping of the locomotive wheels of a train about to depart from a neighbouring track, can appreciate that early railway engineers spoke of 'adhesion' rather than friction. This nomenclature has suvived to this day. Railway traction requires a mobile power plant, be this a steam boiler, an electric motor, or a diesel engine. For light duties battery-powered vehicles are sometimes used. Dr Andrews deals with each one of them in turn and with the ancillary equipment which nowadays includes a fair amount of electronics. Many of the components, particularly of electric locomotives and diesel engines can be tested separately by their manufacturers, but steam locomotives require tests as assembled units.
Dr Andrews' book offers much food for thought. Railway engineering is based on practical experience. Since the invention of the wheel there was first man-powered, then horse-powered haulage, before steam traction and finally electrical traction came into use. The internal combustion engine also has its place in railway traction. 'Nowadays, values as low as 13 N/t (1 N/t = 1 Newton per ton) may be obtained with rail vehicles at slow speeds' as compared with an average value of about 175 N/t for industrial vehicles on the roads of Great Britain. For bulk transport on land the duo-rail system is of outstanding value considering speed of travel, comparatively low consumption of energy and high degree of safety. Rail travel is only possible because of the force of friction between the tyres of the wheels of the locomotive and the rails. The basic physical mechanism of this friction between solid bodies is still an interesting topic for further fundamental research. It is everyday experience that friction products heat but to extrapolate from this to the suggestion that the load-carrying asperities of the steel tyres of the
Much attention has been given to the effect of wind on railway traction. Wind tunnel experiments were made to measure their contribution to train resistance. The data obtained were used to streamline locomotives, carriages and wagons and their couplings. Wind blowing against the side of a train affects its lateral stability and one of the 15 chapters of this book is devoted to 'Lateral forces and stability'. The laying of a duo-rail track with its appropriate banking and making allowance in the 'gauge' for negotiating curves is the result of much practical experience and quite critical for high-speed trains. Making allowance for flange wear, it is remarkable how closely dimensioned the slender wheel flanges are.
Published by Elsevier, 1986, 410 pp
Design details are given in the 498
108
diagrams of this richly illustrated book which also contains block diagrams of mobile testing units and 12 plates of photographs of locomotives and trains of various vintages' some with a background of attractive scenery. Those interested in personalities will be rewarded by the numerous footnotes in Dr Andrews' book. At the end of each chapter there is a list of references. With regard to electric traction, Dr Andrews expresses the view 'that the pattern of drive to meet the increasing demands of modern service' is unlikely to have 'yet been finalised'. He quotes Sir Philip Dawson as stating that 'there is more fashion in the design of electric traction than in ladies hats'. In the USA/Canada the book is available from Elsevier Science Publishers CO. Inc., P.O. Box 1663, Grand Central Station, NewYork, N.Y. 10163.
Robert Schnurmann
Mechanics and Chemistry in Lubrication A.Dorinson and K.C. Ludema This book is one of the Tribology Series published by Elsevier. It fills an important gap in the reference material on tribology by concentrating on the interface between chemistry and the mechanics of rubbing surfaces. The structure of the book follows a pattern of decreasing film thickness starting with full hydrodynamic lubrication, and moving via elastohydrodynamics, film failure, and action of additives down to contact and wear between solid bodies. It also covers important basic supporting areas to this main theme such as the properties of liquids, the calculation of surface temperatures and the chemistry of mineral, synthetic and solid lubricants. It is a basic textbook discussing all the subjects from first principles and most
April 87 Vol 20 No 2
of the links with practice are in terms of laboratory apparatus rather than real engineering components. Nevertheless engineers looking for guidance on problems involving film breakdown, scuffing and wear and concerned with understanding the effect of lubricant additives will find the book very useful. Essentially the book meets its objective of helping to make lubricant and additive chemistry more understandable to engineers, and the principles of fluid film lubrication and surface mechanics intelligible to lubricant chemists. The book is well bound with good clear line diagrams. The printing of the text however, leaves a lot to be desired. Printing quality of this type is simply not good enough in a book sold at around £80 a copy. In summary, it is a very useful reference book but considerably over-priced.
M.J. Neale Michael Neale Associates, Farnham, Surrey, UK Published by Elsevier, 1986, £80
New guideto nondestructive testing The National Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Centre at Harwell Laboratory and the British Institute of NDT have collaborated in the production of a free visual aid that helps in the task of choosing the best NDT method for inspection problems. Entitled 'Quality Technology - a guide to nondestructive testing methods, services and information sources', it presents a wealth of UK NDT expertise on a wallchart. It explains 30 different NDT techniques and incorporates a 'method selector' table to help users identify an appropriate technique for their particular inspection task. Other parts of the wallchart display details of NDT equipment supplied by the Trade Group Member com-
TRIBOLOGY international
Bibliography on Engine Lubricating Oil M.F. Fox, M.J. Hill and Z Pawlak The literature of lubricating oils for internal-combustion engines, encompassing a variety of disciplines and types of literature from scientific papers to semi-technical material, requires careful searching and selection for meaningful information to be gained. For this reason, and because of the accelerated rate of production of papers from the mid-70's, the present bibliography has been compiled. Indexing sources used in the compilation of the bibliography include Chemical Abstracts, Engineering Index, MIRA Automobile Abstracts and Institute of Petroleum Abstracts. The references are arranged under headings of composition and consumption, physical properties, additives, degradation, lubricants for individual types of engine, lubricant factors in vehicle emissions, analytical methods, seals, microbiological and medical problems,
panics of the British Institute of NDT, together with the various services available from its Service Inspection Group. Also included is a section on useful sources of information, such as Handbooks, NDT Codes and Standards and national resources in the testing, quality assurance and monitoring fields. A free copy of the wallchart is available from Phil Lawrence, Information Services Manager. National NDT Centre, Harwell Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0KA, UK
Brochure from Spheric Engineering Spheric Engineering, one of the world's leading manufacturers of
recycling, fuel efficiency, alternative bearings and dry lubricants, future trends, and standards. Patents are covered as well as journal articles, conference papers and books. An author index is provided. The result is an impressive list of references which reflects credit on its compilers. Criticism could, however, be levelled at the concept of publishing by conventional means of a document of this type. The bibliography does not include papers later than 1983 and, in this day and age, an on-line search could be undertaken at any time which would bring to light more recent papers. Its value might then be greatest for individuals and organisations not having access to on-line searching facilities, even through professional organisations, and it is to this type of user that the rather high price of £45 might well be a deterrent. M.S. Robinson MIRA, Watling Street Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK Published by Gower Technical Press, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK, 1987, 223 pp, 0-291-39706-9, £45
tungsten carbide, carbon chrome, aluminium oxide and other ceramic high precision balls - used in the aeronautical, automotive, hydraulic, marine, oil, control engineering and high pressure valve industries - has published an 8-page brochure describing its products and services. Spheric balls are available in five grades in standard and non-standard diameters from 3•64 in to 4 in with tolerances of up to + 50 microns for diameter and + 5 microns for sphericity. Other precision products include go/ no-go ball gauges, reference and tooling balls, styli, probes and Master Ball sets: the Spheric QA Department is a licensee of the British Calibration Service. Spheric Engineering Ltd., Fleming Way, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 2SQ, UK
109
wheels of a locomotive rubbing against the steel rails reaching a temperature at which 'welding' could take place is stretching the point and contradicts a number of experimental facts. It also leaves out of account the vast heat sink that locomotive wheels and steel rails represent. Whatever the answer to this fundamental question may be, the established practical fact is that one locomotive can pull 50 loaded wagons. Those who in the days of steam traction stood on a frosty winter morning on the platform of a railway station and watched the slipping of the locomotive wheels of a train about to depart from a neighbouring track, can appreciate that early railway engineers spoke of 'adhesion' rather than friction. This nomenclature has suvived to this day. Railway traction requires a mobile power plant, be this a steam boiler, an electric motor, or a diesel engine. For light duties battery-powered vehicles are sometimes used. Dr Andrews deals with each one of them in turn and with the ancillary equipment which nowadays includes a fair amount of electronics. Many of the components, particularly of electric locomotives and diesel engines can be tested separately by their manufacturers, but steam locomotives require tests as assembled units.
Dr Andrews' book offers much food for thought. Railway engineering is based on practical experience. Since the invention of the wheel there was first man-powered, then horse-powered haulage, before steam traction and finally electrical traction came into use. The internal combustion engine also has its place in railway traction. 'Nowadays, values as low as 13 N/t (1 N/t = 1 Newton per ton) may be obtained with rail vehicles at slow speeds' as compared with an average value of about 175 N/t for industrial vehicles on the roads of Great Britain. For bulk transport on land the duo-rail system is of outstanding value considering speed of travel, comparatively low consumption of energy and high degree of safety. Rail travel is only possible because of the force of friction between the tyres of the wheels of the locomotive and the rails. The basic physical mechanism of this friction between solid bodies is still an interesting topic for further fundamental research. It is everyday experience that friction products heat but to extrapolate from this to the suggestion that the load-carrying asperities of the steel tyres of the
Much attention has been given to the effect of wind on railway traction. Wind tunnel experiments were made to measure their contribution to train resistance. The data obtained were used to streamline locomotives, carriages and wagons and their couplings. Wind blowing against the side of a train affects its lateral stability and one of the 15 chapters of this book is devoted to 'Lateral forces and stability'. The laying of a duo-rail track with its appropriate banking and making allowance in the 'gauge' for negotiating curves is the result of much practical experience and quite critical for high-speed trains. Making allowance for flange wear, it is remarkable how closely dimensioned the slender wheel flanges are.
Published by Elsevier, 1986, 410 pp
Design details are given in the 498
108
diagrams of this richly illustrated book which also contains block diagrams of mobile testing units and 12 plates of photographs of locomotives and trains of various vintages' some with a background of attractive scenery. Those interested in personalities will be rewarded by the numerous footnotes in Dr Andrews' book. At the end of each chapter there is a list of references. With regard to electric traction, Dr Andrews expresses the view 'that the pattern of drive to meet the increasing demands of modern service' is unlikely to have 'yet been finalised'. He quotes Sir Philip Dawson as stating that 'there is more fashion in the design of electric traction than in ladies hats'. In the USA/Canada the book is available from Elsevier Science Publishers CO. Inc., P.O. Box 1663, Grand Central Station, NewYork, N.Y. 10163.
Robert Schnurmann
Mechanics and Chemistry in Lubrication A.Dorinson and K.C. Ludema This book is one of the Tribology Series published by Elsevier. It fills an important gap in the reference material on tribology by concentrating on the interface between chemistry and the mechanics of rubbing surfaces. The structure of the book follows a pattern of decreasing film thickness starting with full hydrodynamic lubrication, and moving via elastohydrodynamics, film failure, and action of additives down to contact and wear between solid bodies. It also covers important basic supporting areas to this main theme such as the properties of liquids, the calculation of surface temperatures and the chemistry of mineral, synthetic and solid lubricants. It is a basic textbook discussing all the subjects from first principles and most
April 87 Vol 20 No 2
of the links with practice are in terms of laboratory apparatus rather than real engineering components. Nevertheless engineers looking for guidance on problems involving film breakdown, scuffing and wear and concerned with understanding the effect of lubricant additives will find the book very useful. Essentially the book meets its objective of helping to make lubricant and additive chemistry more understandable to engineers, and the principles of fluid film lubrication and surface mechanics intelligible to lubricant chemists. The book is well bound with good clear line diagrams. The printing of the text however, leaves a lot to be desired. Printing quality of this type is simply not good enough in a book sold at around £80 a copy. In summary, it is a very useful reference book but considerably over-priced.
M.J. Neale Michael Neale Associates, Farnham, Surrey, UK Published by Elsevier, 1986, £80
New guideto nondestructive testing The National Nondestructive Testing (NDT) Centre at Harwell Laboratory and the British Institute of NDT have collaborated in the production of a free visual aid that helps in the task of choosing the best NDT method for inspection problems. Entitled 'Quality Technology - a guide to nondestructive testing methods, services and information sources', it presents a wealth of UK NDT expertise on a wallchart. It explains 30 different NDT techniques and incorporates a 'method selector' table to help users identify an appropriate technique for their particular inspection task. Other parts of the wallchart display details of NDT equipment supplied by the Trade Group Member com-
TRIBOLOGY international
Bibliography on Engine Lubricating Oil M.F. Fox, M.J. Hill and Z Pawlak The literature of lubricating oils for internal-combustion engines, encompassing a variety of disciplines and types of literature from scientific papers to semi-technical material, requires careful searching and selection for meaningful information to be gained. For this reason, and because of the accelerated rate of production of papers from the mid-70's, the present bibliography has been compiled. Indexing sources used in the compilation of the bibliography include Chemical Abstracts, Engineering Index, MIRA Automobile Abstracts and Institute of Petroleum Abstracts. The references are arranged under headings of composition and consumption, physical properties, additives, degradation, lubricants for individual types of engine, lubricant factors in vehicle emissions, analytical methods, seals, microbiological and medical problems,
panics of the British Institute of NDT, together with the various services available from its Service Inspection Group. Also included is a section on useful sources of information, such as Handbooks, NDT Codes and Standards and national resources in the testing, quality assurance and monitoring fields. A free copy of the wallchart is available from Phil Lawrence, Information Services Manager. National NDT Centre, Harwell Laboratory, Oxfordshire OX11 0KA, UK
Brochure from Spheric Engineering Spheric Engineering, one of the world's leading manufacturers of
recycling, fuel efficiency, alternative bearings and dry lubricants, future trends, and standards. Patents are covered as well as journal articles, conference papers and books. An author index is provided. The result is an impressive list of references which reflects credit on its compilers. Criticism could, however, be levelled at the concept of publishing by conventional means of a document of this type. The bibliography does not include papers later than 1983 and, in this day and age, an on-line search could be undertaken at any time which would bring to light more recent papers. Its value might then be greatest for individuals and organisations not having access to on-line searching facilities, even through professional organisations, and it is to this type of user that the rather high price of £45 might well be a deterrent. M.S. Robinson MIRA, Watling Street Nuneaton, Warwickshire, UK Published by Gower Technical Press, Aldershot, Hampshire, UK, 1987, 223 pp, 0-291-39706-9, £45
tungsten carbide, carbon chrome, aluminium oxide and other ceramic high precision balls - used in the aeronautical, automotive, hydraulic, marine, oil, control engineering and high pressure valve industries - has published an 8-page brochure describing its products and services. Spheric balls are available in five grades in standard and non-standard diameters from 3•64 in to 4 in with tolerances of up to + 50 microns for diameter and + 5 microns for sphericity. Other precision products include go/ no-go ball gauges, reference and tooling balls, styli, probes and Master Ball sets: the Spheric QA Department is a licensee of the British Calibration Service. Spheric Engineering Ltd., Fleming Way, Manor Royal, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 2SQ, UK
109