Tribometers have a very wide range of applications in research – from sports to defence and security technologies. Researchers and engineers at Riga Technical University (RTU) are currently building a large-scale research device, of which there are only a few in the world.
The frame and main mechanical components of the 21-metre-long tribometer were manufactured at the equipment factory of AS Latvijas Finieris. RTU engineers also had the opportunity to assemble the components at the factory's production facilities. Electronic and cooling system components are also being purchased separately. The device will be located in a special climate chamber, where conditions will be maintained to allow tests to be carried out, including under conditions similar to those in sports competitions, for example, with high movement speeds and pressure on ice or snow.
Researchers and engineers from the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Technologies and Transport and the Sports Technology Centre of RTU's Faculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering have extensive experience and long-standing cooperation with representatives of Latvian sliding sports, helping to improve athletes' sleds and equipment so that they can achieve increasingly better results and become more competitive. Among other things, the influence of runner geometry and surface treatment on sliding performance on ice is being intensively studied.
The new equipment will make it possible to analyse the correlation between parameters characterising the surface geometry of sports equipment and frictional properties, says Jānis Lungevičs, a leading researcher at the Institute of Mechanical Engineering, Aerospace Technologies and Transport of RTU's Faculty of Civil Engineering and Mechanical Engineering. However, he emphasises that sport is only one of its applications. It is also important to study how different materials and their modifications, treatment and texturing affect friction and sliding performance in many other fields. As an example, he mentions road construction – it is possible to study how the use of certain construction materials can improve the grip between car tyres and the road surface. The choice of materials and coatings – varnishes, oils and paints – also affects the slipperiness of flooring, which, for example, can even pose serious health risks on a sports court. The leading researcher also describes studies on the treatment of metal surfaces to improve sliding performance on ice for military purposes in the Arctic region.
There are only a handful of such large-scale experimental devices in the world, so its construction at the RTU student campus in Ķīpsala will demonstrate the high level of skills of RTU researchers and engineers. While designing the tribometer, they have also gained insights into its operating and structural principles elsewhere, for example, in Finland and Austria, where measurements have been carried out. This knowledge has also been used to develop a new methodology for characterising the surfaces of sports equipment, covering both macro- and microgeometry.
It is planned that the new tribometer will undergo intensive testing and calibration in the first half of next year, and test procedures will be developed, while its use in scientific research will begin in the second half of the year.
The equipment is part of the State Research Programme "Sports" project "Innovations, Methodologies and Recommendations for the Development and Management of the Sports Sector in Latvia" (No. VPP-IZM-Sports-2023/1-0001), implemented by scientists from RTU, including RTU Liepāja Academy, the University of Latvia and Riga Stradiņš University (RSU), including the RSU Sports Academy, to improve Latvia's achievements in sports. As part of the project, the evaluation of equipment required for technical sports is being improved, and methods are being developed to monitor athletes' functional abilities and health and to enhance training effectiveness.
