Professor Andrew Torrance
Fellow Emeritus, Mechanical, Manuf & Biomedical Eng
Biography
Prof. Andrew Torrance graduated from Cambridge in 1968, then went to the lubrication group at Imperial College, London where he obtained a Ph.D. in 1971. After a year as a Research Assistant he moved to the laboratories of Total in Harfleur, France where he spent 2" years as Chef de Section frottement - usure. Returning to England, he spent 5 years as a Research Fellow in the Abrasive Machining Group at the University of Bristol before joining the teaching staff at Trinity College, Dublin in 1980, where he is now an Associate Professor and Fellow of the College. His main research interests are in abrasive machining, and the modelling of boundary friction and wear, and he is the author of some 70 papers on these subjects.
Publications and Further Research Outputs
Peer-Reviewed Publications
A. Lefebvre, F. Lanzetta, P. Lipinski, A.A. Torrance, Measurement of grinding temperatures using a foil/workpiece thermocouple, International Journal of Machine Tools & Manufacture, 2012
De Pellegrin, D.V. , Torrance, A.A. , Haran, E., Wear mechanisms and scale effects in two-body abrasion , Wear, 266, (1-2), 2009, p13-20
Lyons, O.F.P., Murray, D.B. and Torrance, A.A., , Air jet cooling of brake discs, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 222, (6), 2008, p995-1004
Bareggi, A., O'Donnell,G.E., Torrance, A., Modelling and experimental analysis of high speed air jets used during metal cutting as a cooling technique, 3rd CIRP International Conference on High Performance Cutting - Micromachining, Dublin, Ireland, June 12,13th, edited by G. Byrne and G.E. O'Donnell , Vol. 1, 2008, pp337 - 346
M. Roe, and A.A.Torrance , The Surface Failure and Wear of Graphite Seals, Tribology International, 41, 2008, p1002 - 1008
O'Kelly B.C., Torrance A.A., West R.P., Burke M.J. and Boland F.M., Case study of an interdisciplinary problem-based engineering design course, Proceedings of the Sixth AECEF International Symposium on Civil Engineering Education in Changing Europe, Vilnius, Lithuania, 28-30 May 2008, 2008, pp37 - 48
M. Roe & A.A. Torrance, Performance prediction of exfoliated graphite seals: 1. Determination of parameters and verification of model, Sealing Technol, 4, (April), 2008, p6 - 13
Bareggi, A., O'Donnell, G.E., Torrance, A., Modelling Thermal Effects in Machining using Finite Element Methods, 24th International Manufacturing Conference, Waterford, Ireland, 29th-31st August, edited by Phelan, J. , 2007
O'Donovan, T. S., Murray, D. B. and Torrance, A. A., Jet heat transfer in the vicinity of a rotating grinding wheel, Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 220, (6), 2006, p837 - 845
T.S. O'Donovan, D.B. Murray and A.A. Torrance, Jet heat transfer in the vicinity of a rotating grinding wheel, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part C, 220, 2006, p1 - 11
Bareggi, A., Torrance, A., O'Donnell, G.E., Green cutting using supersonic air jets as coolant and lubricant during turning, The 4th International Conference on Manufacturing Research, Liverpool, UK, 5th-7th September, 2006, pp261 - 266
Babic, D., Torrance, A.A. and Murray, D.B., Soap mist jet cooling of grinding processes, Key Engineering Materials, International Symposium on Advances in Abrasive Technology, St. Petersburg, June 2005, 291-292, 2005, pp239-244
A.A.Torrance, A method for calculating boundary friction and wear, Wear, 258, 2005, p924 - 934
A.A. Torrance, Modelling Abrasive Wear, Wear, 258, 2005, p281 - 293
O'Donovan, T. S., Murray, D. B. & Torrance, A. A., Impinging jet heat transfer in the transitional wall jet region, ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, San Francisco, 2005, ppHT2005 - 72451
Babic, D.M., Murray, D.B. and Torrance, A.A., Mist jet cooling of a grinding process, International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture, 45, (10), 2005, p1171 - 1177
H. M. Kelly, P. B. Deasy, M. Busquet and A. A. Torrance, Bioadhesive, rheological, lubricant and other aspects of an oral gel formulation intended for the treatment of xerostomia, International Journal of Pharmaceutics, 278, 2004, p391 - 406
O'Donovan, T. S., Murray, D. B. & Torrance, A. A., PIV measurements and convective heat transfer of an impinging air jet, 12th International Symposium of Applications of Laser Techniques to Fluid Mechanics, Lisbon, 12 - 15 July, 2004, pp9
Babic, D., Murray, D.B. and Torrance, A.A., Control of grinding temperature by high speed air jets, Proceedings of ITSS II, Bled, Slovenia, 2004, pp8
Máire Ní Ruaidhe and A. A. Torrance, Developing a finite element model of exfoliated graphite valve packings, Sealing Technology, 3, 2003, p6 - 9
O'Donovan, T. S., Murray, D. B. & Torrance, A. A., Heat transfer to an obliquely impinging air jet, 8th UK National Heat Transfer Conference, Oxford, 2003
Walsh DG, Torrance AA, Tiberg J, Analytical evaluation of thermally induced residual stresses in ground components, PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS PART C-JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE, 217, (5), 2003, p471 - 482
Petropoulos GP, Torrance AA, Pandazaras CN, Abbott curves characteristics of turned surfaces , INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MACHINE TOOLS & MANUFACTURE, 43, (3), 2003, p237 - 243
TORRANCE, AA, THE EFFECT OF GRIT SIZE AND ASPERITY BLUNTING ON ABRASIVE WEAR, WEAR, 253, 2002, p813 - 819
A.A.Torrance and J.A.Badger, The relation between the traverse dressing of vitrified grinding wheels and their performance, Intl. J of Machine Tool Manufacture Design and Research, 40, 2000, p1787 - 1811
GALLIGAN, J, TORRANCE, AA, LIRAUT, G, A SCUFFING TEST FOR PISTON RING/BORE COMBINATIONS PART I. STEARIC ACID LUBRICATION, WEAR, 236, 2000, p199 - 209
M. Busquet and A.A.Torrance, A numerical slip-line field for the sliding cylinder problem, Wear, 241, 2000, p86 - 98
GALLIGAN, J, TORRANCE, AA, LIRAUT, G, A SCUFFING TEST FOR PISTON RING/BORE COMBINATIONS: PT. II. FORMULATED MOTOR LUBRICATION, WEAR, 236, 2000, p210 - 220
TORRANCE, AA, BADGER, JA, THE RELATION BETWEEN THE TRAVERSE DRESSING OF VITRIFIED GRINDING WHEELS AND THEIR PERFORMANCE, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MACHINE TOOLS & MANUFACTURE, 40, 2000, p1787 - 1811
BADGER, JA, TORRANCE, AA, A COMPARISON OF TWO MODELS TO PREDICT GRINDING FORCES FROM WHEEL SURFACE TOPOGRAPHY, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MACHINE TOOLS & MANUFACTURE, 40, 2000, p1099 - 1120
J. Galligan, A.A.Torrance and G. Liraut, A scuffing test for piston ring / bore combinations: Pt. I stearic acid lubrication, Wear, 236, 1999, p199 - 209
WALSH, D, TORRANCE, AA, INFLUENCE OF FORM ON SURFACE TEMPERATURES IN FORM GRINDING, PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS PART C-JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE, 213, 1999, p601 - 611
J. Galligan, A.A.Torrance and G. Liraut, A scuffing test for piston ring / bore combinations: Pt. II formulated motor lubrication, Wear, 236, 1999, p210 - 220
TORRANCE, AA, GALLIGAN, J, LIRAUT, G, A MODEL OF THE FRICTION OF A SMOOTH HARD SURFACE SLIDING OVER A SOFTER ONE, WEAR, 212, 1998, p213 - 220
RICE, HJ, TORRANCE, AA, EIKELMAN, G, A MODEL OF STIFFNESS NON-LINEARITY IN FIBROUS MATERIAL DYNAMICS, JOURNAL OF SOUND AND VIBRATION, 212, 1998, 375 - 381
TORRANCE, AA, THE INFLUENCE OF SURFACE DEFORMATION ON MECHANICAL WEAR, WEAR, 200, 1997, p45 - 54
TORRANCE, AA, A SIMPLE DATUM FOR MEASUREMENT OF THE ABBOTT CURVE OF A PROFILE AND ITS FIRST DERIVATIVE, TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, 30, 1997, p239 - 244
TORRANCE, AA, MORGAN, JE, WAN, GTY, AN ADDITIVE'S INFLUENCE ON THE PITTING AND WEAR OF BALL BEARING STEEL, WEAR, 192, 1996, p66 - 73
YANG, YY, TORRANCE, AA, OXLEY, PLB, MODELLING MECHANICAL WEAR PROCESSES IN METALLIC SLIDING FRICTION, JOURNAL OF PHYSICS D-APPLIED PHYSICS, 29, 1996, p600 - 608
YANG, Y, TORRANCE, AA, RODRIGUEZ, J, THE SOLAR HARDENING OF STEELS: EXPERIMENTS AND PREDICTIONS, SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS, 40, 1996, p103 - 121
TORRANCE, AA, BUCKLEY, TR, A SLIP-LINE FIELD MODEL OF ABRASIVE WEAR, WEAR, 196, 1996, p35 - 45
YANG, YY, TORRANCE, AA, WEAR BY PLASTIC RATCHETTING - AN EXPERIMENTAL EVALUATION, WEAR, 196, 1996, p147 - 155
TORRANCE, AA, USING PROFILOMETRY FOR THE QUANTITATIVE ASSESSMENT OF TRIBOLOGICAL FUNCTION - PC-BASED SOFTWARE FOR FRICTION AND WEAR PREDICTION, WEAR, 181, 1995, p397 - 404
A.A.Torrance, Using Profilometry for the Quantitative Assessment of Tribological Function: PC Based Software for Friction and Wear Prediction, Wear, 181, 1995, p397 - 404
Y.Yang, A.A.Torrance and J.Rodriguez, The Solar Hardening of Steels, Materials World, 6, 1994, p320
A.A.Torrance, The Calculation of Residual Stresses in Worn Surfaces, Proc. I. Mech E., 208, (F), 1994, p113 - 119
BRENNER, N, TORRANCE, AA, WHEEL SHARPNESS MEASUREMENT FOR FORCE PREDICTION IN GRINDING, WEAR, 160, 1993, p317 - 323
TORRANCE, AA, THE STATISTICS OF THE EXTREMA OF SURFACES AS A MEANS OF ASSESSING THEIR MECHANICAL PERFORMANCE, WEAR, 156, 1992, p281 - 299
A.A.Torrance and J.-L.Metzger, Dry and Wet Grinding of Carbide with Electroplated Diamond Quills: pt.II Partition Model, Ind. Diamond Rev., 51, 1991, p14 - 19
D.P.Howe, M.Mee, A.A.Torrance and J.D.Williams, An Aluminium-Lead-Silicon-Indium Bearing Alloy, Materials Science and Technology, 7, 1991, p330 - 333
HOWE, DP, MEE, M, TORRANCE, AA, WILLIAMS, JD, AL-PB-SI-IN BEARING ALLOY, CLIO-A JOURNAL OF LITERATURE HISTORY AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF HISTORY, 7, 1991, p330 - 333
LACEY, P, TORRANCE, AA, THE CALCULATION OF WEAR COEFFICIENTS FOR PLASTIC CONTACTS, WEAR, 145, 1991, p367 - 383
J.-L.Metzger and A.A.Torrance, Dry and Wet Grinding of Carbide with Electroplated Diamond Quills: pt.I Experimental, Ind. Diamond Rev., 50, 1990, p296 - 303
MOALIC, H, FITZPATRICK, JA, TORRANCE, AA, A SPECTRAL APPROACH TO THE ANALYSIS OF ROUGH SURFACES, JOURNAL OF TRIBOLOGY-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME, 111, 1990, p359 - 363
TORRANCE, AA, THE CORRELATION OF PROCESS PARAMETERS IN GRINDING, WEAR, 139, 1990, p383 - 401
LACEY, P, TORRANCE, AA, FITZPATRICK, JA, THE RELATION BETWEEN THE FRICTION OF LUBRICATED ROUGH SURFACES AND APPARENT NORMAL PRESSURE, JOURNAL OF TRIBOLOGY-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME, 111, 1990, p260 - 264
TORRANCE, AA, A 3-DIMENSIONAL CUTTING CRITERION FOR ABRASION, WEAR, 123, 1988, p87 - 96
MEE, M, TORRANCE, AA, A STUDY OF THE LUBRICATED WEAR OF PLAIN BEARING MATERIALS IN A ZDDP-CONTAINING LUBRICANT, WEAR, 128, 1988, p201 - 217
TORRANCE, AA, CHEMICAL AND MICROSTRUCTURAL CHANGES INDUCED IN BEARING STEEL BY ROLLING-CONTACT, WEAR, 122, 1988, p363 - 376
TORRANCE, AA, AN APPROXIMATE MODEL OF ABRASIVE CUTTING, WEAR, 118, 1987, p217 - 232
MOALIC, H, FITZPATRICK, JA, TORRANCE, AA, THE CORRELATION OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF ROUGH SURFACES WITH THEIR FRICTION COEFFICIENTS, PROCEEDINGS OF THE INSTITUTION OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS PART C-JOURNAL OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERING SCIENCE, 201, 1987, p321 - 329
ALLEN K, TORRANCE AA, COATINGS TO IMPROVE THE WEAR-RESISTANCE OF A LOW-ALLOY STEEL, TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, 19, (3), 1986, p123 - 127
TORRANCE, AA, STOKES, RJ, HOWES, TD, STEEL COMPOSITION EFFECTS ON GRINDABILITY AND ROLLING-CONTACT FATIGUE RESISTANCE OF BEARING STEELS, JOURNAL OF TRIBOLOGY-TRANSACTIONS OF THE ASME, 107, 1986, p496 - 500
TORRANCE, AA, DART, JM, A STUDY OF LUBRICATED ABRASIVE WEAR, WEAR, 110, 1986, p49 - 59
MONAGHAN, JM, TORRANCE, AA, AN UPPER-BOUND SOLUTION FOR CLOSED-DIE FORGING OF HEXAGONAL AND SQUARE WORKPIECES, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MACHINE TOOLS & MANUFACTURE, 24, 1984, p225 - 240
MONAGHAN, JM, TORRANCE, AA, AN ANALYSIS OF DIE FILLING IN A FORGING OPERATION, JOURNAL OF STRAIN ANALYSIS FOR ENGINEERING DESIGN, 19, 1984, p237 - 247
MONAGHAN, JM, TORRANCE, AA, PLANE-STRAIN COINING, METALS TECHNOLOGY, 11, 1984, p20 - 28
TORRANCE, AA, STOKES, RJ, HOWES, TD, THE EFFECT OF GRINDING CONDITIONS ON THE ROLLING-CONTACT FATIGUE LIFE OF BEARING STEEL, MECHANICAL ENGINEERING, 105, 1983, p68 - 73
TORRANCE AA, A NEW APPROACH TO THE MECHANICS OF ABRASION, WEAR, 67, (2), 1981, p233 - 257
TORRANCE, AA, AN EXPLANATION OF THE HARDNESS DIFFERENTIAL NEEDED FOR ABRASION, WEAR, 68, 1981, 263 - 266
TORRANCE AA, THE CORRELATION OF ABRASIVE WEAR TESTS, WEAR, 63, (2), 1980, p359 - 370
TORRANCE AA, METALLOGRAPHY OF WORN SURFACES AND SOME THEORIES OF WEAR - REPLY, WEAR, 56, (2), 1979, p424 - 426
TORRANCE AA, METALLOGRAPHY OF WORN SURFACES AND SOME THEORIES OF WEAR, WEAR, 50, (1), 1978, p169 - 182
A.A.Torrance, W.J.Plumbridge and F.H.Stott, Workpiece Damage in Creep Feed Grinding, Metals Technology, 4, 1977, p249 - 255
TORRANCE AA, CAMERON A, SURFACE TRANSFORMATIONS IN SCUFFING, WEAR, 28, (3), 1974, p299 - 311
TORRANCE AA, LIMITS OF LUBRICATION - CONFERENCE AT IMPERIAL-COLLEGE, INDUSTRIAL LUBRICATION AND TRIBOLOGY, 23, (9), 1971, p318
Non-Peer-Reviewed Publications
D. V. De Pellegrin, N. D. Corbin, G. Baldoni, A. A. Torrance,, The Measurement and Description of Diamond Particle Shape in Abrasion., Diamond at Work Conference II, Rome, April 2007, edited by M. Jennings , 2007
D. V. De Pellegrin and A. A. Torrance, Characterisation of abrasive particles and surfaces in grinding, Diamond at Work Conference I, Barcelona, April 2006, edited by M. Jennings , 2006
D.V. De Pellegrin and A.A. Torrance, The contribution of debris formation to the particle size effect in abrasive wear, Austrib, Brisbane, December 2006, 2006
A.A.Torrance, Wear of grinding wheels - software for their selection, Servicing Manufacture Proc. 21st Int. Man. Conf, Limerick, 1st September 2004, edited by P.Phelan , 2004, pp305-311
Darko M. Babic, Darina B. Murray and Andrew Torrance, Control of Grinding Temperature by High Speed Air Jets, Int. Conf. on Heat Transfer, Bled, 2004
A. Zschocke, Y.Blake, A.A.Torrance, Wedge wear tests of low carbon steel and malleable iron, Proc. 30th Leeds Lyon Symposium, edited by L.Flamand, G.Dalmaz and R.M. Priest , Elsevier, 2004
O'Donovan, T.S., Murray, D.B. and Torrance, A.A., Unsteady Heat Transfer in an Impinging Jet Flow, Proceedings of the 8th UK National Heat Transfer Conference, Oxford, 2003
M. Busquet and A.A.Torrance, Some models of asperity contacts, Proc. 27th Leeds Lyon Symposium, edited by L.Flamand, G.Dalmaz and C.M.Taylor , Elsevier, 2001
M. Busquet and A.A.Torrance, Wear: influence of detached particles trapped in the contact when a hard cylinder slides over a smooth soft surface, Proc. 26th Leeds Lyon Symposium, edited by L.Flamand, G.Dalmaz and C.M.Taylor , Elsevier, 2000
M. Busquet and A.A.Torrance, Investigation of surface deformation and friction when a cylindrical asperity slides over a smooth soft surface, Proc. 25th Leeds Lyon Symposium, edited by L.Flamand, G.Dalmaz and C.M.Taylor , Elsevier, 1999, pp101 - 110
J.A.Badger and A.A.Torrance, A computer programme to predict grinding forces from wheel surface profiles using slip-line fields, Proc. Conference in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, San Sebastian, 1998, pp445 - 456
D.Walsh, H. Izadi and A.A.Torrance, A semi-analytical approach to evaluating residual stress on the surface of components subject to a moving heat source, Proc. Conference in Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, San Sebastian, 1998, pp875 - 886
A.A.Torrance, Yanyi Yang Blake and B. Crosby, The wear mechanism of ductile metals by slurries : fatigue or ratchetting?, Proc. 22nd Leeds Lyon Symposium, edited by L.Flamand, G.Dalmaz and C.M.Taylor, Elsevier , 1996, pp615 - 622
A.A.Torrance and Y.Yang, Local surface strains in asperity contacts: their influence on lubricated wear, Proc. 21st Leeds Lyon Symposium, edited by D.Dowson and C.M.Taylor, Elsevier , 1995, pp335 - 341
A.A.Torrance and N. Brenner, A slip-line field model of the mechanics of grinding, Proceedings of the Eurometalworking - 94 conference, University of Udine, edited by E.Cosmacini , 1994, pp076-1 - 076-7
A.A.Torrance and Zhou F, Fracture Modes in Wear Particle Formation, Proc. 20th Leeds Lyon Symposium, edited by D.Dowson and M.Godet, Elsevier , 1994, 521 - 529
A.A.Torrance and A.Parkinson, Towards a better surface finish for bearing materials, 19th Leeds-Lyon Symposium, edited by Ed. D.Dowson and M.Godet Elsevier , 1993, pp91 - 98
A.A.Torrance, Debris Detachment in Plastic Contacts, Wear Particles, edited by M.Godet and D.Dowson , Elsevier, 1992, pp49 - 55
M.Mee, A.A.Torrance and I..T McGovern, The Effect of ZDDP on the Lubricated Wear of CuPb30, Vehicle Tribology, edited by D. Dowson and M. Godet , Elsevier, 1991, pp421 - 427
A.A.Torrance, The Tribological Properties of Dynamic Compacts of Aluminium-Based Powders, European Research on Materials Substitution, edited by I.V.Mitchell and H. Nosbusch , Elsevier, 1988, pp453 - 460
M.Mee and A.A.Torrance, Wear Testing of Aluminiumm-Based Bearing Metals Produced by Powder Metallurgy Methods, Proc. 4th Irish Dur. and Fract. Conf., Queen's University, Belfast, 1986, pp192 - 201
A.A.Torrance, The Theory of Abrasive Wear Suppression, Proc. 1st Irish Dur. Fract. Conf., Parsons Press Dublin, 1984, pp283 - 288
M.Mee and A.A.Torrance, The Corrosion Resistance of Buried S.C.A. Conductor, Proc. 1st Irish Dur. and Fracture Conf., Dublin, 1984, pp219 - 226
J.Morgan, R.J.Stokes and A.A.Torrance, Deformation in Heavily Loaded Rolling Contacts, 8th Leeds-Lyon Symposium, Butterworth, 1982, pp184 - 191
R.J.Stokes, J.S.C.Parry and A.A.Torrance, A New Rolling Contact Fatigue Test Machine, Symposium on the Performance and Testing of Gear Oils and Transmission Fluids, Heyden and Son, 1981, pp35 - 42
A.A.Torrance, Metallurgical Effects Associated with Grinding, Proc 19th M.T.D.R. Conf., Macmillan, 1978, pp637 - 644
Research Expertise
Description
1. MIST-JET COOLING OF GRINDING: This project, sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, is to prove the concept of mist jet cooling for abrasive machining. A prototype cooler has been built, and is available for demonstration on site.It can be extremely effective with very small quantities of environmentally friendly liquids. 2. MEASUREMENT OF ABRASIVES AND ABRASIVE TOOLS: This project, sponsored by the Irish Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, seeks to develop a method for accurately quantifying the sharpness of individual abrasives, and of abrasive tools using stereo microscopy. 3. ENHANCED GAS-JET COOLING OF MACHINING PROCESSES: This project, sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland, seeks to apply the techniques developed in the project on grinding to other machining processes. Early results indicate that excellent results are possible with environmentally friendly fluids and good nozzle design. 4. ENHANCED GAS-JET COOLING OF DISK BRAKES: This project, sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland, seeks to apply the techniques developed in the projects on grinding and machining to the cooling of disk brakes. Preliminary work is ongoing on the design of a suitable process. 5. FUEL AND LUBRICANT INTERACTIONS WITH NON-FERROUS METALS: This project, sponsored by the E.U.and Shell Global Solutions seeks to investigate the effects of fuel and lubricant additives on the froistion and wear of contacts involvoing non-ferrous metals. The outcome of the project will be a fuller understanding of the formation of surface films on surfaces other than steel, and how the surface film contributes to the friction and wear performance of the lubricant in such systems. 6. A NEW TEST FOR FRICTION IN FORGING: This is an unsponsored research project to develop a new, test more realistic than the conventional ring test to measure friction in forging.Projects
- Title
- Mist-jet cooling of grinding
- Summary
- This project, sponsored by Enterprise Ireland, is to prove the concept of mist jet cooling for abrasive machining. A prototype cooler has been built, and is available for demonstration on site.It can be extremely effective with very small quantities of environmentally friendly liquids.
- Funding Agency
- Enterprise Ireland
- Date From
- 2004
- Date To
- 2005
- Title
- Measurement of abrasives and abrasive tools
- Summary
- This project, sponsored by the Irish Council for Science, Engineering and Technology, seeks to develop a method for accurately quantifying the sharpness of individual abrasives, and of abrasive tools using stereo microscopy. Software which implements some of the features of this can be found at: www.mecheng.tcd.ie/~torrance/software.html
- Funding Agency
- IRCSET
- Date From
- 2004
- Date To
- 2006
- Title
- Enhanced gas-jet cooling of machining processes
- Summary
- This project, sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland, seeks to apply the techniques developed in the project on grinding to other machining processes. Early results indicate that excellent results are possible with environmentally friendly fluids and good nozzle design.
- Funding Agency
- SFI
- Date From
- 2004
- Date To
- 2007
- Title
- Enhanced gas-jet cooling of disk brakes
- Summary
- This project, sponsored by Science Foundation Ireland, seeks to apply the techniques developed in the projects on grinding and machining to the cooling of disk brakes. Preliminary work is ongoing on the design of a suitable process.
- Funding Agency
- SFI
- Date From
- 2005
- Date To
- 2007
- Title
- Fuel and lubricant interactions with non-ferrous metals
- Summary
- This project, sponsored by the E.U.and Shell Global Solutions seeks to investigate the effects of fuel and lubricant additives on the froistion and wear of contacts involvoing non-ferrous metals. The outcome of the project will be a fuller understanding of the formation of surface films on surfaces other than steel, and how the surface film contributes to the friction and wear performance of the lubricant in such systems.
- Funding Agency
- E.U. Shell Global Solutions
- Date From
- 2005
- Date To
- 2008
- Title
- Durability of graphite seals
- Summary
- This project provided basic mechanical and tribological design data for graphite seals, and design rules for their installation. It involved developing new mechancial and tribological test methods and new constitutative models to describe the highly non-linear behaviour of graphite
- Funding Agency
- Enterprise Ireland/Merkel Freudenberg
- Date From
- 1999
- Date To
- 2003
- Title
- Software for the prediction of friction coefficients.
- Summary
- Renault commissioned this work to develop a friction model and software to allow for the conditions in the contact between a piston ring and cylinder liner. By allowing for both elastic and plastic deformation of asperities, and for the properties of boundary films, it could be shown that there is an optimum finish for these components. If the finish is either too rough or too smooth, there is a danger of high friction and scuffing. The models developed predicted well the friction measured experimentally for a wide range of finishes. Software to implement the algorithms can be found at: www.mecheng.tcd.ie/~torrance/software.html
- Funding Agency
- Renault D.E.Mat (France).
- Title
- Modelling and design of back grinding wheels
- Summary
- The effects of abrasive size and distribution on the performance of back grinding wheels was modelled to provide a design tool for makers of these wheels.
- Funding Agency
- Enterprise Ireland/Atlantic Diamond
- Date From
- 2001
- Date To
- 2001
Recognition
Awards and Honours
Visiting Professor, INSA de Lyon
Fellow TCD
Memberships
M.I.M.M.M. C.Eng