Tribology & Biotribology Research Center and Laboratories
Azrieli College of Engineering, Jerusalem
Equipment and Instrumentation
Two-Axis Tribometer for Friction, Adhesion, and Peeling Measurements
This customized two-axis tribometer is designed to characterize frictional, adhesion, and peeling behavior under a wide range of experimental conditions. Its modular configuration enables customizable testing protocols and provides precise control over relative motion, displacement, and applied forces. The system is intended for testing a wide variety of materials, including polymers, composites, soft biological materials such as cartilage, textured surfaces, and biomimetic adhesive micro-patterned surfaces. Tests can be conducted under dry or wet contact conditions and at a controlled temperature, as required by the experimental protocol. The system consists of three primary operational units:
- Lower Drive Unit:
The lower drive unit comprises three translation stages, including two motorized high-precision stages driven by Zaber X-LSM motors, providing positioning accuracy of up to 75 µm, and one manually operated stage (Zaber TSB28M-MH2) for positioning the specimen in the direction perpendicular to the sliding direction. Together, these stages enable controlled movement along the three spatial axes. The counterface specimen is mounted on the translation-stage assembly, allowing precise positioning and controlled sliding motion relative to the stationary sample. - Stationary Measurement Unit:
The stationary measurement unit is positioned in the upper section of the tribometer. It incorporates two high-resolution FUTEK FSH00092-LSB200 load cells, with a resolution of 0.1 mN. The load cells enable accurate measurement of force variations in both the vertical (normal) and lateral (frictional) directions, allowing the applied normal force and frictional response to be continuously monitored throughout the tribological test. The measured forces are used to calculate the coefficient of friction and, when required, adhesion and peeling strength. - Heating Control Unit:
The heating control system is used to regulate and maintain the desired temperature of the lubricant during wet-contact experiments throughout the tribological test. This system ensures stable and controlled thermal conditions, enabling tribological measurements to be performed at a predefined and consistent temperature.
Capabilities of the Customized Two-Axis Tribometer:
The tribometer is capable of performing a wide range of high-resolution mechanical and tribological measurements, including tests on delicate and compliant specimens, with a force resolution of up to 0.1 mN. These capabilities include:
- Friction measurement
Measurement of friction forces and determination of static and dynamic coefficients of friction (COF). - Adhesion measurement
Quantitative measurement of adhesion forces and the corresponding adhesive stresses between interacting surfaces. - Peeling force measurement at variable peeling angles
Measurement of peeling forces under controlled experimental conditions and at different peeling angles, enabling quantitative characterization of adhesion and interfacial mechanical behavior, as well as determination of peeling strength.
Adhesion tester
The adhesion tester is designed for the quantitative characterization of adhesive and mechanical interactions between contacting surfaces. The system enables precise measurement of adhesion forces and can be configured to perform both tensile and compressive force measurements. Its modular design allows the system to be adapted to a wide range of specialized experimental protocols, depending on the requirements of the investigation.
The adhesion tester consists of two primary operational components:
- Zaber Motorized Translation Stages:
Provide precise and controlled positioning and movement of the test assembly, enabling accurate control of displacement during mechanical and adhesion tests. - High-Resolution FUTEK Load Cells:
Provide accurate measurement of the forces generated during testing, including tensile, compressive, and adhesive forces.
Linear Reciprocating Tribometer (LRT)
The Linear Reciprocating Tribometer (LRT) is designed for the quantitative characterization of friction and wear under controlled reciprocating sliding motion. The system offers flexible testing capabilities and can be customized to accommodate a wide range of tribological experiments and specific research requirements. Tests can be conducted under dry or wet conditions and at controlled temperatures, as required by the experimental protocol.
The tribometer consists of three main functional units:
- The motion unit: The motion unit incorporates a motorized mechanism that converts the rotational motion of the motor into controlled linear reciprocating motion. This mechanism enables precise control of the sliding stroke, reciprocating frequency, and test duration, allowing the experimental conditions to be accurately defined and reproduced.
- Measurement Unit: The measurement unit incorporates a high-resolution load cell for accurately monitoring variations in friction force throughout the test. An LVDT (Linear Variable Differential Transformer) displacement sensor is also integrated into the system to provide precise, in-situ measurement of wear progression. The recorded displacement data can subsequently be used to quantify wear depth and calculate the wear rate under the specified experimental conditions.
- Heating Control Unit: The heating control system is used to regulate and maintain the desired temperature throughout the tribological test, ensuring stable and controlled thermal conditions during the experiment.
Capabilities of the Tribometer:
The tribometer is capable of measuring frictional forces and wear behavior over a large number of reciprocating cycles under controlled experimental conditions. The system enables precise control of sliding velocity, test temperature, and contact conditions, allowing the tribological performance of materials to be systematically evaluated across a wide range of operating conditions.
Friction Torque Tribometer
The friction torque tribometer is designed to characterize frictional torque and rotational resistance under controlled contact conditions, such as those encountered in the tribological characterization of contact lenses. The system provides precise control of the applied normal load, rotational speed, and specimen positioning, while offering flexibility for implementing customized experimental protocols.
The Friction Torque Tribometer consists of two primary functional units:
Motion Unit that incorporates the following components:
- Vertical Translation Stage: A motorized Zaber X-LSM050A linear stage with a total travel range of 50 mm and positioning accuracy of up to 15 µm, enabling precise vertical positioning of the test assembly.
- Lateral Positioning System: Consists of two manually operated micrometric translation stages that enable precise lateral positioning and alignment of the specimen relative to the counterface.
- Rotational Drive: A DC motor provides controlled rotational motion of the specimen holder at the desired rotational speed, with a maximum speed of 100 rpm. The system can be configured to perform cyclic partial-rotation movements.
Measurement Unit: Designed to accurately quantify the forces and torque generated during rotational tribological testing. It incorporates:
- Normal Load Cell: A high-resolution FUTEK load cell for accurate measurement of the applied normal force.
Friction Torque Measurement System: The torque measurement system is designed to quantify the resistance torque generated during rotational motion. It consists of a rigid beam equipped with two high-resolution FUTEK load cells. The load cells are mounted perpendicular to the beam and arranged parallel to one another in opposite directions, forming a force-couple system. The resulting force couple is used to determine the frictional torque generated at the contact interface. This configuration enables accurate characterization of rotational friction and torque under controlled normal loading and rotational conditions.
Pin-on-Disc Rotational Tribometer (RT)
The Rotational Tribometer (RT) is designed for the quantitative characterization of friction, wear, and particle generation under controlled rotational contact conditions. The system is primarily configured in a pin-on-disc geometry, making it particularly suitable for the tribological evaluation of brake materials and other sliding-contact systems in which friction-induced wear debris is generated and collected for subsequent analysis.
The tribometer provides precise control over key experimental parameters, including the applied normal load, rotational speed, sliding distance, and test duration. The system can accommodate different specimen geometries and counterface materials, allowing the experimental configuration to be adapted to the specific requirements of the investigation.
A dedicated particle-collection configuration enables the capture and collection of wear particles generated during sliding, supporting subsequent characterization of particle size, morphology, composition, and other relevant properties. This capability is particularly useful for investigating the relationship between frictional behavior, wear mechanisms, and particle generation.
The modular design of the RT allows it to be configured for a wide range of rotational tribological experiments, including friction and wear testing under dry or lubricated conditions and controlled environmental parameters.
The system consists of two primary functional units:
- Motion Unit: The motion unit is driven by an electric motor that provides controlled rotational motion of the vertical disc at the desired rotational speed. The system enables precise and stable control of the disc rotation throughout the tribological test.
- Measurement and Particle-Collection Unit: The measurement unit incorporates a force gauge for monitoring the forces generated during testing, a wear measurement system for evaluating material loss, and a temperature measurement system for monitoring the temperature at the contact interface. An integrated fan-based particle-collection system enables the capture of particles generated and released from the contact interface during frictional operation.
This configuration enables the simultaneous characterization of frictional forces, wear behavior, temperature, and friction-generated particle emissions under controlled rotational testing conditions.
High resolution 3D printer (ASIGA)
The ASIGA high-resolution 3D printer is capable of fabricating complex components and micro-scale structures with high dimensional accuracy and fine feature resolution. The printer provides a minimum layer thickness of approximately 1 µm and a printing resolution of up to 27 µm, enabling the fabrication of detailed and geometrically complex specimens. These capabilities make the system particularly suitable for research and prototyping applications involving micro-structured surfaces, biomimetic architectures, and customized experimental specimens.
Optical microscope
Zeiss (CSM VIS-UV)
ZEISS CSM VIS-UV optical microscope enables high-resolution optical imaging (maximum magnification of X120). It can be used for detailed examination of surface morphology, wear features, and other microstructural characteristics before and after experimental testing.
SM-1000 Series – High-Resolution Optical Inspection Microscope
The Motic PSM-1000 is a modular, high-performance optical microscope designed for high-resolution inspection of surfaces and small-scale structures. Its precision optics, mechanical positioning system, and long working-distance objectives make it suitable for advanced research, industrial inspection, detailed examination of surface morphology, wear features, semiconductor applications, and laser-related work.
The system utilizes incident (reflected) illumination, making it particularly suitable for the examination of opaque and reflective specimens. A modular optical configuration provides wavelength coverage from 355 nm to 1064 nm, supporting applications ranging from UV to IR.
The PSM-1000 supports a wide range of apochromatic objectives, with magnifications from 2× to 100×, including Extra Long Working Distance (ELWD) and Ultra Long Working Distance (ULWD) objectives. The system also incorporates a built-in camera for digital imaging and documentation.
Main Features:
- High-resolution optical inspection and surface characterization
- Reflected light (incident) illumination
- Wavelength coverage from 355–1064 nm
- Magnification range of X2–X100
- Apochromatic ELWD and ULWD objectives
- Long working distances for convenient specimen manipulation
- Suitable for inspection of reflective and opaque surfaces, microstructures, and precision components
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) – JEOL JCM-5000 NeoScope
The JEOL JCM-5000 NeoScope is a compact benchtop scanning electron microscope (SEM) designed to complement conventional optical microscopes and full-scale SEM systems. It provides high-magnification, high-resolution imaging with a large depth of field, while maintaining a simple.
The NeoScope is suitable for a wide range of materials science, life science, forensic, and failure-analysis applications. Its automated focusing, contrast, and brightness controls enable rapid imaging. The system supports both high- and low-vacuum operation, allowing the examination of conductive and non-conductive specimens with minimal sample preparation.
With a magnification range of X10 to X20,000, the NeoScope enables detailed characterization of surface morphology, microstructures, defects, wear features, and other microscale phenomena.
Main Features:
- Compact benchtop SEM with automated imaging settings
- Magnification range of X10–X20,000 without lens changes
- High-resolution imaging with a large depth of field
- High- and low-vacuum operating modes
- Suitable for conductive and non-conductive specimens
- Minimal sample preparation; coating or drying is not necessarily required
- Secondary electron (SE) and backscattered electron (BSE) imaging
- Three selectable accelerating-voltage settings
- Automatic focus, contrast, and brightness adjustment
- Suitable for surface morphology, wear, failure analysis, and materials characterization
Gold Sputter Coater – LUXORAu
The LUXORAu is a fully automated gold sputter coater designed for the preparation of specimens for scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The system provides reproducible and homogeneous gold coatings, enabling reliable imaging of non-conductive and beam-sensitive specimens while reducing surface charging during SEM examination.
The system accommodates up to seven 12.5 mm SEM sample stubs per cycle and supports continuous coating thicknesses from 1–100 nm, with 5–15 nm recommended for general SEM imaging. It is compatible with gold and gold/palladium targets and can operate using air or argon as the process gas.
Main Features:
- Fully automated gold sputter coating system
- Suitable for SEM sample preparation up to 50,000× magnification
- Gold and gold/palladium coating targets
- Continuous selectable coating thickness of 1–100 nm
- Capacity for up to 7 × 12.5 mm SEM stubs per cycle
- Integrated coating-thickness monitoring for reproducible results
- Air or argon gas supply
- Suitable for conductive and non-conductive specimens
- Applicable to polymers, ceramics, biomaterials, fibers, geological specimens, pharmaceutical particles, and other materials
- Designed to minimize contamination of the SEM column
