49th Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology - 2024

Tribology for the future of mankind: feet on the ground, reaching for the stars Humanity is facing several new challenges. On the one hand, we have our eyes on the stars with plans for lunar or even Martian bases. On the other hand, the environmental impact of human activities encourages us to keep our feet on the ground. "If mechanics is the science of motion, tribology is the science that makes it possible"1. It is therefore clear that whatever the challenges, tribology will have its role to play. To cite only two examples, the choice of space greases or materials in contact, considering the geometry and constraints, will make possible to deploy or not the solar panels of ISS ; furthermore, the current choice to develop e-mobility to reduce gas emissions locally requires new developments in terms of fatigue and efficiency for high-speed powertrains. The title of this symposium is also a reference to the two pillars of research : intuition and deduction, i.e. the audacity to propose innovative ideas out of our mind and the need to confront them to the reality of experiments. This 49th edition of Leeds-Lyon 2024 will be dedicated to all the fields of tribology that can help meet these new challenges: space tribology, bio-tribology, fatigue and wear, lubrication modelling, extreme conditions.... The conference will be held in the peaceful venue of Valpré, near Lyon.