ILMA Compoundings August 2018 - 23

House Resolution 306
of the 115th Congress
(2017-18)
"[Tribology-related industries] contribute
$400 billion to $700 billion annually to
the U.S. economy. An estimated 300,000
individuals are employed in this sector
with salaries that are higher than the
median income in the U.S.," explained
House Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, in a
letter to other members of Congress
last year reaching out for support of
his House resolution recognizing the
impact of tribology on the U.S. economy
and competitiveness. "This is why I am
introducing this legislation to emphasize
the impact of tribology on the U.S. economy and competitiveness in providing
solutions to critical technical problems
in manufacturing, energy production
and use, transportation vehicles and
infrastructure, greenhouse emissions,
defense and homeland security, health
care, mining safety and reliability, and
space exploration, among others; and to
highlight the need for increased R&D
investments in tribology and related
fields."
The resolution introduced by Ryan
From top:
has been co-sponsored by Mike Doyle, a
Congressmen Tim Ryan,
Mike Doyle and Daniel Lipinski
Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania's 14th District, which includes the
entirety of Pittsburgh, and Daniel Lipinski, a Democratic
congressman from Illinois' 3rd District, which includes
parts of Cook County. All three congressmen are up for
re-election in November.
Doyle met with engineering students at Carnegie
Mellon University in hopes of making the connection for
future leaders in engineering to understand "the connection between what they are learning in the classroom and
how it applies to real-world problems in industry." Ryan's
resolution was the center of discussion for the students
during Doyle's visit.
Outside of political committees, the legislation has
gained support from the American Society of Mechanical
Engineers (ASME), Auburn University, Carnegie Mellon
University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), Pennsylvania
State University and the University of Akron, among
many other groups.

Lubrication and health care are
linked in perhaps an even more
foundational way: Blood flowing
through veins and arteries is, in
fact, tribological in nature.
Continued from page 20

made for the health care industry must meet a particularly
high standard of quality and safety, considering the importance of their role in medical facilities. These fabrics and
fabric-like textiles utilize various additives and films to reduce
friction, preventing tearing and uncomfortable (and sometimes harmful) abrasions to the users of those products.
Polymers are often used in the pharmaceutical world to
make stoppers and seals for drug packaging; they offer low
permeability to moisture, air and gas and are resistant to heat,
oxygen and ozone in order to keep medications "fresh" and
secure.

Dental Care
"Dental applications are probably some of the older applications where tribology is linked to health care," explained
Fenske. "Teeth are tribological in nature - their main purpose is to cut and grind food, and significant effort goes into
dental care that involves consideration of tribological factors."
Similar to replacement joints for hips, knees and other
parts of the body, artificial teeth and other dental implants
undergo quite a lot of wear and tear over the course of their
lifetime. They must be made of materials that can withstand
the pressure.
Additionally, dental fillings need to be made of highstrength composite materials that can withstand the wear
and tear that the patient's natural tooth could not. Other
applications for tribology in dental care include "formulation

23
ILMA Compoundings August 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ILMA Compoundings August 2018
