Apr 10 2006
The highest prize in the field of tribology was awarded to Dmitry Garkunov for the discovery of the so-called "nondeterioration effect" and the phenomenon of hydrogen wear of materials, which formed the basis for an absolutely new direction in tribology, and for setting up the international research school to investigate them, for development of fundamentally new technologies based on these discoveries, and finally for publishing a series of scientific and technical books on these technologies, including the first manual of tribology in the Soviet Union. Inventions by Dmitry Garkunov are widely adopted in various branches of industry - aircraft and chemical industry, heavy and light engineering, agriculture and railway transport.
It should be noted that this medal, which is comparable in terms of significance for tribology only to that of Oscar Prize for the cinema world, was instituted by Queen Elisabeth II about 35 years ago under the impression of researchers' report about enormous significance of friction science for the country's economy. According to the researchers' data, development of new technologies in this area could save for the UK the amount equivalent to 1.5 percent of the gross national income. To encourage new developments in such an important area, the medal was instituted to be awarded every year since that time to the most outstanding tribology scientist from the point of view of the International Tribological Society- currently, not only in the UK but also worldwide.
For the entire lifetime of this prize, it was awarded to 34 persons, 28 of whom were researchers living outside the UK, including those in Russia. Dmitry Garkunov is the fifth Russian researcher who this medal was awarded to.
Dmitry Garkunov explained what the nondeterioration effect and phenomenon of hydrogen wear of materials are, and the history of discovering these phenomena. "The essence of the nondeterioration of materials phenomenon, explains the researcher in a general way, is that the force of friction can be made in certain circumstances not destroy friction surfaces, but on the contrary protect them. If ions of copper or of more expensive noble metals are introduced into the ubricating stuff, then redox reactions on the surfaces of friction will cause formation of a thin protective film of copper or other noble metal between the rubbing parts in the process of work. Similar to the way a special liquid in live joints of the organism protects bone surfaces from friction for dozens of years, this layer in the friction units of mechanisms protects metal surfaces from wear. This effect was discovered 50 years ago. At that time, aeronautical engineering in Russia was developing intensely, but many aircraft parts got quickly worn out. The undercarriage upper axle-boxes of L-28 bomber (one of the most common war-planes of that time) got particularly worn out. The point is that axle-boxes are the most loaded parts in the plane undercarriage. They were worn out in 300 to 400 landings. In such organizations as military colleges, where several flights take place every day, this problem was very pressing.
At that time, I worked at the Institute of Aeronautical Engineering Repair and Exploitation, and I was entrusted with finding out the reasons for this phenomenon. It has turned out that lubricating fluid is guilty of quick wear! Working together with these parts the lubricating fluid was very aggressive towards them. When investigating these processes, we discovered the nondeterioration effect. It was only necessary to substitute this lubrication by another one, and then the quick deterioration phenomenon was completely replaced by the nondeterioration phenomenon.
It interesting to note that this effect has spontaneously protected refrigerator compressors from wearing for years even prior to any theoretical vindication. The tubes, over which the compressor pumps the refrigerating medium, are made of copper. Copper ion, when getting into the lubricating fluid, recovered on attrition faces, this accounting for, as was discovered, unprecedentedly high service life of refrigerator compressors. However, prior to discovery of the nondeterioration effect, the instruction ordered that the copper layer should be cleared away from the surfaces during the refrigerator repair.
As for the hydrogen wear phenomenon, it is rather in opposition to the nondeterioration effect. About 40 years ago we found out that hydrogen is very aggressive in friction units. Being formed in friction units from rubbing materials or from water that got into the contact zone, atomic hydrogen forms molecules which literally burst friction units open, thus causing crack formation.
How can metal be protected from hydrogen penetration? It has turned out that the best protection is the nondeterioration effect. The point is that hydrogen is unable to leak - or more precisely to diffuse - through the dense and supple copper film. This property of copper is by the way widely used by the Americans who cover the parts' surface with a thin layer of gold or copper if they want to prevent hydrogen penetration into them. Therefore, we believe that we have developed a highly universal method of mechanism protection - both from hydrogen wear and from friction." Discovery of these phenomena made about half a century ago caused origin of an entire direction in tribology. The researchers are investigating these phenomena and finding out their nature, studying peculiarities of these effects for various metals and alloys. In different mechanisms, friction units experience different loading, and the units are made as a rule of diverse alloys. Therefore, it is impossible to create a universal lubricant "good to all". Practically any lubricant should contain copper (as was discovered), but in what form and in what particular compound - this is always an individual investigation and it is always the sphere of know-how.
By the way, it is possible to produce such lubricant that would "treat" worn-out friction units, relieving the need to disassemble them for detailed repair. This is one more direction of work by Dmitry Garkunov and his colleagues at the Academy of Quality Problems and other institutes and companies in Russia and abroad.
Of course, even if the most ideal lubricant is applied, friction units are not everlasting. There are also mechanical failures, and the notorious human element. Besides, the lubricant is consumed and it should be added. But in any case, the nondeterioration effect allows to increase by several times the mechanisms' service life, providing in a huge economic effect such a way, to say nothing about environmental protection - the less broken mechanisms - the less rubbish.
It is for this reason that the works by Professor Garkunov have been marked by a number of government awards. Among them - The 2002 Prize of the Government of the Russian Federation and the 2003 Prize of the President of the Russian Federation. Now, the highest award - the medal presented to Dmitry Garkunov on behalf of the UK Institute of Mechanical and Engineering by the UK ambassador - has been added to them.
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