The Leonardo Centre for Tribology

Live friction experiments!

Our sold out Pint of Science UK talk is underway!

Read about our recent work on 'leaves on the line'!

The composition and friction-reducing properties of leaf layers | Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences Every autumn rail networks across the world suffer delays, accidents and schedule changes due to low friction problems caused by leaves landing on the rails. These leaves form a layer that can redu...

Our Formula Student team, Sheffield Formula Racing, received a great selection of Castrol lubrication products from their sponsors BP today to help them with their car this year.

A big thank you to BP for sending the team a large variety of their Castrol products, they will definitely come in handy during the build period! ✅

If you’d like to learn more about graduate and intern opportunities at BP then be sure to check out: www.bp.com/grads/uk

Getting to grips with friction – Pint of Science – Friction: The Tribology Enigma Getting to grips with friction – Pint of Science 23rd May 201922nd May 2019 by eartly Friction PG researchers Dr Matt Carré and Professor Roger Lewis took part in the public ‘Pint of Science – All hands to the pump’ event in Sheffield on 22nd May 2019. They explained some fundamentals of fr...

50 YEARS OF THE WHO
16 February 1968. A Friday night gig for The Who, headlining at this year's Union Ball in the refectory at Sheffield University and supported by the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band. Also on the bill this night were local group, the Grease Band with their young vocalist Joe Cocker and keyboardist Chris Stainton (who, five years later, would play piano on The Who's Quadrophenia album).

Here are some memories of this night from student Barry Corke on the Sheffield University students' website:

"Watching The Who from outside, looking through the high level windows above the stage - standing on the path outside. This was the old version of the building of course. Some kind person left the blinds open.

We were on our way back to Broomhill at about 11pm after yet another late evening working in the architecture dept in the Arts Tower.

I remember Pete Townshend squeezing behind an amp stack (with no cables in or out), swapping his guitar for a wrecked version of the same, and coming out the other side. Then he went through the crazy guitar swinging and smashing routine including poking the guitar neck through the speaker cabinets, which we could see were empty. "Smash yer guitar" was what you shouted at them.

I guess they had learned an economic lesson when they used to be paid £100 a show, but broke £300 worth of gear, while still giving it the full show.

Keith Moon still pushed the drum kit into the audience at the very end, followed by a few minders who fought off the students trying to rescue a bit for themselves."

We welcomed all our new EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Integrated Tribology students to Sheffield this week!