Professional recognition of Tribology

Can you please provide a link to the document containing the 114 expertise codes I can't find it.



I notice the UK Tribology website on which many of the events this network organises are advertised.



http://www.uktribology.net/



How many members of the IET Tribology Network are members of this and another engineering institution, as opposed to just being members of a single institution?



The issues of surface layer performance (including coatings) in terms of temperature dependent corrosion and wear, including predictive condition monitoring of such, are of paramount importance in so many existing and new interdisciplinary fields of engineering.



I think you should include virtual surfaces like magnetic bearings and clutches, as well as the engineering properties of superfluids in contact with a boundary solid surface.



In the energy fields I have been thinking on recently e.g home based CHP (including Methane Fuel Cells and Stirling Engines) and high temperature molten salt reactors, it seems to me the field of tribology becomes fundamental. The viewpoints and understanding gained in the field in terms of surface preparation and condition monitoring may also be of increasing importance in designing better and longer lasting low maintenance batteries.



I don't consider myself as a tribology expert, however I am a member and supporter of this networks vital work in attracting new engineers to this field. [Having said that I have written copious amounts of code to control route simulation dynamometers that test breaking components to destruction and probably know more about the field than I set out to know.]



James

James,



Thanks for the feedback.



The codes are contained in the guidance notes document within the application pack, which can be downloaded here: http://www.theiet.org/membership/profreg/app-form.cfm



UK Tribology exists as a virtual organisation although actual initiatives are expected to start this year.



Tribology is on the periphery of the IET's traditional domain, so it would be expected for a number of our members to belong to other institutions as well. I was always a generalist, and I put all my eggs in this particular basket, on the basis that when I joined the IEE it had just taken over the IProdE and the IMfgE.



Being a peripheral topic, in my view is something we can and do turn into a strength. Personally, I think it is a good thing for the IET to retain involvement in the physical, manufactured world, when so much attention is paid to the virtual one.



We do not as yet have any statistical or demographic breakdown of the IET Tribology Network membership, but this has been requested. As a workaround, we carried out a membership survey via this forum in 2013, which gave some useful insights and has focused many of our actions since then. I suspect that we are pioneering these initiatives!



Best regards,

Geoff

I've copied the "expertise" list below for people that are interested in making it better, or more correctly perhaps completely rewriting it (copy into Wordpad/Word for better formating).



There are major ommissions in this list other than Tribology. Manufacturing and Production Engineering for example.



There are also some odd inclusions for example "Petrochemical Industry" and "Nuclear Industry" are both listed as an expertise. It's absurd to write Industry rather than engineering and then to include Petrochemical but not Chemical.



Systems Engineering is ubiquitous - all engineers should include this. It is part of what makes an engineer different from a physicist say, and if you have people claiming to be Chartered Systems Engineers then it devalues the qualifications and training of all other engineers.



Why is Baggage Handling in the list and not Building Information Modelling for example?



James



    1    Acoustics    39    ICT    77    Project Management       

    2    Air Conditioning     40    Image Processing/Analysis    78    Quality Assurance       

    3    Air Traffic Control    41    Information Technology    79    Radar / Navigation Aids       

    4    Airport Lighting    42    Instrumentation    80    Radiation Monitoring       

    5    Antennas & Propagation    43    Intelligence    81    Radio       

    6    Artificial Intelligence    44    Laser Technology    82    Radio astronomy       

    7    Automotive Electronics    45    Law    83    Rail Rolling Stock       

    8    Automatic and Adaptive Control    46    Lighting    84    Rail Electrification       

    9    Automotive Industry    47    Logic Design    85    Rail Infrastructure       

    10    Avionics    48    Machine Tools    86    Rail – Traction       

    11    Baggage Handling    49    Machines System Engineering    87    Railway Signalling       

    12    Boilers-Mechanical    50    Management    88    Railways       

    13    Broadcasting    51    Materials    89    Renewable Energy       

    14    CCTV    52    Mechanical Engineering    90    Robotics       

    15    Circuit & Systems    53    Mechatronics    91    Satellite Communications       

    16    Civil Engineering    54    Medical Electronics/Bio-Eng.    92    Semiconductors       

    17    Computation Modelling    55    Metallurgy    93    Sewage Systems       

    18    Computer & Numeric Control    56    Metrology    94    Signal Processing       

    19    Computer Systems    57    Microcontrollers     95    Software       

    20    Construction     58    Microelectronics    96    Safety Critical Systems       

    21    Consultancy    59    Microwave Devices & Technique    97    Sales & Marketing       

    22    Contracting    60    Mining    98    Speech & Language Processing       

    23    Control & Automation    61    Networks    99    Steel Industry       

    24    Defence-Land/Sea/Air    62    Neural Networks    100    Structural Engineering        

    25    Design & Technology    63    Nuclear Industry    101    Studio Production       

    26    Digital Signal Processing    64    Optical Technology & Application    102    Systems Engineering       

    27    Electrical Machines    65    Patent Agent    103    Telecommunications       

    28    Electro Mechanical Systems    66    Petrochemical Industry    104    Telemetry       

    29    Electromagnetics    67    Plant Design    105    TV & Data Broadcasting       

    30    Electronics    68    Port Handling    106    Traffic Control Systems       

    31    Fire Engineering    69    Power Cables & Overhead Lines    107    Training       

    32    Finance/Banking/Insurance    70    Power Electronics    108    Transport Electronics & Control       

    33    Generation – Conventional     71    Power Sys Operation & Planning     109    Utilisation       

    34    Generation – Nuclear    72    Power – Distribution    110    VOIP       

    35    Global Systems/Mobile Radios    73    Power Sys – Measurement, Protection  & Control    111    Water Boards       

    36    Hardware & Systems Eng.    74    Power – Transmission    112    Weapons Engineering       

    37    Health & Safety     75    Procurement    113    Logistics       

    38    Human Factors     76    Product Development    114    Air Worthiness     

 I flew to London this morning and felt quite secure in the knowledge that the engineers responsible for the baggage handling system would have had their own box to tick! On the other hand, those responsible for the hydraulics, fuel and braking systems on the plane, as well as the majority of its manufacture, would have had to type in their own entry on the form, like I have done. Professional home for life, indeed!



This particular discussion is probably better continued in a different forum.



Tribology is a hybrid discipline not widely taught at undergraduate level and often hidden behind the scenes of modern industry and given a number of different labels. On the other hand, its principles underpin pretty much every aspect of our modern lives from transport to food production and artificial joints.



I think the aim of defining a particular competence base for tribology would be beneficial for society. If the IET took the lead on this, it could extend its influence into a host of mechanical and manufacturing related disciplines where it is currently absent. I suspect there may be a strategic niche there, ready for the IET or another institution to exploit. I have in mind a particular quotation by the chairman of the Indian tribological institute, which I found a few years ago, in which he referred to tribology under-pinning that country's nation-building activities. In post-industrial countries, we would find equivalent value from a similar focus on energy-saving and improved quality of life. The bottom line is that any way of maintaining professional engineers' motivation would be beneficial to the profession. Engineering is fundamentally a hard way to make a living, wherever we live.