Advances in Frictional Interfaces

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2026 | Viewed by 1024

Special Issue Editor

School of Rail Transportation, Soochow University, Suzhou 215131, China
Interests: friction; wear; interfaces; wheel-rail tribology; EHL

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Frictional interfaces govern the performance and longevity of engineering systems. The pursuit of greater efficiency, reliability, and intelligence demands a paradigm shift from passive acceptance to active management of friction and wear. This Special Issue seeks to highlight groundbreaking advances in understanding, designing, and controlling these critical interfaces, leveraging innovations in materials, modeling, and sensing to overcome longstanding challenges. This Special Issue invites the submission of high-quality original research and review articles focusing on, but not limited to, the following themes:

  • Surface Engineering and Coating Technologies. Focus: Controlling friction and wear by modifying surface properties through advanced coatings (e.g., DLC), surface texturing, and heat treatments to enhance durability and performance.
  • Lubricants and Lubrication Technologies. Focus: Developing novel lubricants (oils, greases) with advanced additives, studying lubrication regimes (e.g., boundary, EHL), and exploring new materials like ionic liquids and nano-lubricants.
  • Wear Prediction and Damage Analysis. Focus: Analyzing fundamental wear mechanisms (adhesive, abrasive, fatigue, corrosive) and developing models to predict component lifespan and reliability under various operating conditions.
  • Tribology under Extreme Conditions. Focus: Examining friction and wear behavior in harsh environments, including high/low temperatures, vacuum, high load, and corrosive atmospheres, which is critical for aerospace and energy applications.
  • Intelligent Friction Control and Condition Monitoring. Focus: Developing "smart" interfaces with integrated sensors and active control systems for real-time friction adjustment, predictive maintenance, and system health management (PHM).
  • Application-Specific Tribology. Focus: Addressing unique interfacial challenges in key fields, such as MEMS/NEMS Tribology: Friction and adhesion at micro- and nano-scales. Braking System Tribology: Friction, noise, thermal stability, and wear of brake disc-pad pairs. Tire-Road Tribology: Traction, hydroplaning, and rolling resistance.

Dr. Bing Wu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Lubricants is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • surface engineering and coating technologies
  • lubricants and lubrication technologies
  • wear prediction and damage analysis
  • tribological properties of vehicle brake disc/pad friction pairs
  • lubrication, numerical simulation, and testing of bearings and gears

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 4469 KB  
Article
Numerical Simulation of Wheel–Rail Adhesion Under Wet Conditions and Large Creepage During Braking
by Pengcheng Shi, Bing Wu, Jiaqing Huang, Zhaoyang Wang and Jianyong Zuo
Lubricants 2026, 14(1), 29; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants14010029 - 8 Jan 2026
Viewed by 680
Abstract
Low adhesion conditions can lead to significant wheel slip during braking for high-speed trains, resulting in severe wheel–rail rolling contact fatigue issues. The objective of this paper is to reproduce the dynamic wheel–rail adhesion characteristics of high-speed train braking with large creepage using [...] Read more.
Low adhesion conditions can lead to significant wheel slip during braking for high-speed trains, resulting in severe wheel–rail rolling contact fatigue issues. The objective of this paper is to reproduce the dynamic wheel–rail adhesion characteristics of high-speed train braking with large creepage using the transient non-Hertzian ECF model under wet conditions and to clarify the underlying mechanisms. The Kik–Piotrowski (KP) model is used to solve the wheel–rail normal contact problem, and the corresponding non-elliptical adaptive method is adopted to modify the ECF model considering time-dependent effects for solving the tangential contact problem. The dynamic large creepage adhesion characteristics of high-speed trains under wet conditions during braking are analyzed. Furthermore, the effect of braking initial speeds and longitudinal creepage variation curves on dynamic adhesion characteristics is discussed. The results indicate that the large creepage adhesion characteristic curve of high-speed trains during braking exhibits a loading stable phase and an unloading stable phase, both of which effectively enhance the utilization of wheel–rail adhesion. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Frictional Interfaces)
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Review

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30 pages, 1041 KB  
Review
Water-Lubricated Photothermal Surfaces for Anti-Icing and Deicing
by Chunlei Gao, Yongzhi Liu and Yongyi Du
Lubricants 2026, 14(5), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants14050201 - 14 May 2026
Viewed by 107
Abstract
Ice accumulation on critical infrastructure surfaces threatens operational safety in aviation, power transmission, and transportation systems. Conventional anti-icing and deicing strategies, such as chemical deicers and energy-intensive active heating, have inherent drawbacks. These include environmental pollution, high energy consumption, and low efficiency. In [...] Read more.
Ice accumulation on critical infrastructure surfaces threatens operational safety in aviation, power transmission, and transportation systems. Conventional anti-icing and deicing strategies, such as chemical deicers and energy-intensive active heating, have inherent drawbacks. These include environmental pollution, high energy consumption, and low efficiency. In recent years, photothermal-responsive extremely water-repellent surfaces have attracted widespread attention. They can harvest renewable solar energy and achieve efficient anti-icing and deicing through tailored interfacial wetting properties. This review summarizes photothermal extremely water-repellent surfaces based on the “water as a lubricating layer” strategy. This strategy reduces ice adhesion strength and enables low-energy deicing. It works by forming a continuous lubricating film via photothermally induced interfacial meltwater. We discuss photothermal conversion mechanisms and strategies to enhance performance for stable lubricating film formation. We also analyze the stagewise physics of anti-icing and deicing, focusing on the interfacial tribological behavior of the water film. Key engineering challenges are addressed, including mechanical durability and all-weather applicability. Finally, we clarify future research directions for industrial translation. This review aims to provide theoretical insights and technical pathways for developing next-generation anti-icing and deicing surfaces that are efficient, eco-friendly, and sustainable. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Frictional Interfaces)
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