Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering

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 Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering About the department Laboratories and workshops Tribology Lab

Tribology Lab

The Surface Engineering and Tribology Laboratory focuses on the measurement and analysis of friction, wear, coatings, and surface mechanics at scales ranging from macro to nano. 

Our facilities enable advanced testing of material performance under mechanical, tribological, and electrochemical loading, supporting both fundamental research and industrial applications in automotive, biomedical, and energy sectors.

Facilities

  • ST-Scratch Test Device with Confocal Microscope
    • Specifications: Integrated scratch tester (CSM-style) and laser confocal scanning head for in-situ 3D profilometry.
    • Applications: Quantitative evaluation of coating adhesion, critical load determination, scratch resistance mapping, and post-scratch morphological analysis.     
  • Magnetron Sputtering Coating Machine
    • Specifications: Dual-magnetron DC/RF sputtering system; base pressure < 5×10⁻⁶ Torr; tar-get diameters up to 4″; substrate rotation and heating.
    • Applications: Deposition of metallic, ceramic, and composite thin films for wear protection, functional coatings, and optical layers. (Home-built hybrid system under modification.)
  • Bruker Nanohardness & Tribology Setup
    1. UTM TriboLab with Reciprocal & Rotary Stage
      • Specs: Load range up to 200 N; stroke ±10 mm (reciprocating), up to 200 rpm rota-ry; temperature-controlled stage optional.
      • Applications: Macro- to micro-scale wear testing, fretting, and tribocorrosion un-der controlled environments.
    2. Hysitron TS 77 Select NanoIndenter
      • Specs: Load resolution < 50 nN; displacement resolution < 0.1 nm; modes: nanoindentation, dynamic mechanical analysis, nanoscratch, and nanowear.
      • Applications: Hardness and modulus mapping, sub-micrometer wear, friction co-efficient measurement, and mechanical property profiling.
  • 3D Optical Scanner
    • Specifications: Blue-light structured-light scanner; lateral resolution ~10 μm; field of view up to 200 × 200 mm.
    • Applications: High-resolution wear track profiling, surface topography reconstruction, and volumetric wear rate evaluation.
  • Gamry Interface 1010E Potentiostat/Galvanostat/ZRA
    • ​​​​​​​Specifications: ±10 V compliance; ±2 A current range; zero-resistance ammeter mode; EIS up to 10 MHz.
    • Applications: Electrochemical corrosion testing, tribocorrosion studies, impedance spec-troscopy for coating degradation, and in-situ monitoring of electrochemical surface reac-tions.

Access and admission requirements

Access via AU ID card/student card can be obtained by contacting the laboratory manager.

Location:

Building 5360, room 124

Opening Hours:

The laboratory is open when not used for teaching.

Laboratory Administrator:

Narguess Nemati

Tenure Track Assistant Professor
M
H 5126, 244
P +4523382445
Revised 06.10.2025
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Heidi Søndergaard