The 31st Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology was held at Trinity and All Saints College in Leeds under the title "Life Cycle Tribology" from Tuesday 7th September until Friday 10th September 2004.
Over the three days of presentations that followed, life cycle tribology was explored across a range of areas including automotive tribology, bearings, bio-degradability and sustainability, bio-tribology, coatings, condition monitoring, contact mechanics, debris effects, elastohydrodynamic lubrication, lubricants, machine systems, nanotribology, rolling contact fatigue, transmissions, tribochemistry and wear and failure. Invited talks in these fields were presented by leading international researchers and practitioners, namely C.J. Hooke, J.A. Williams, R.J.K. Wood, G. Isaac, S.C. Tung, D. Price, I. Sherrington, M. Hadfield, K. Kato, R.I. Taylor, H.P. Evans, R.S. Dwyer-Joyce and H. Rahnejat.

The papers contained within this volume focus on the transient aspects of the preocesses in tribology highlighting the differences obtained with stationery conditions, be they experimental analytical or numerical.

These papers represent the proceedings from the 29th Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology, 'Tribological Research and Design for Engineering Systems' which was held in September 2002. Over 130 delegates from 18 countries attended the symposium, and the extensive discussions generated over 150 written questions and responses, which are documented at the end of this proceedings volume.
There have been many advances in the field of tribology in recent years, with progress being made in the engineering and interaction of surfaces; micro and nano-tribology; elastohydrodynamics; surface films; surface texture; tribochemistry; wear and life prediction; with both experimental and theoretical contributions. These advances were reviewed, and the impact of this understanding on the fundamentals upon total engineering activity in design, manufacture and machine operation were considered.
Readership:
Scientists and researchers in the field of tribology.

The objective of the 28th Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology was to define current understanding of the science relating to boundary and mixed lubrication and to compare this with the needs of industry in terms of applications.

Major advances have been made in recent years in areas such as contact mechanics, wear, elastohydrodynamic lubrication incorporating surface texture, lubricant interactions with surfaces and the experimental interrogation of surface topography, surface films and lubricant film thickness. However, the needs of industry are equally intense with a seemingly relentless drive towards more compact, efficient and durable tribological systems.

"Boundary and Mixed Lubrication: Science and Applications" publishes peer-reviewed papers presented at the 28th Leeds-Lyon Symposium on Tribology. The Keynote address was presented by Professor Koji Kato, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan under the title "Wear of Boundary or Mixed Lubrication Regimes," which set the scene for the meeting with a review of recent scientific developments with a clear focus on the potential for technological and industrial development.

This collection of fully peer-reviewed papers were presented at the 26th Leeds-Lyon Tribology Symposium which was held in Leeds, UK, 14-17 September, 1999.
The Leeds-Lyon Symposia on Tribology were launched in 1974, and the large number of references to original work published in the Proceedings over many years confirms the quality of the published papers. It also indicates that the volumes have served their purpose and become a recognised feature of the tribological literature.
This year's title is 'Thinning Films and Tribological Interfaces', and the papers cover practical applications of tribological solutions in a wide range of situations.
The evolution of a full peer review process has been evident for a number of years. An important feature of the Leeds-Lyon Symposia is the presentation of current research findings. This remains an essential feature of the meetings, but for the 26th Symposium authors were invited to submit their papers for review a few weeks in advance of the Symposium. This provided an opportunity to discuss recommendations for modifications with the authors.

The 24th Leeds-Lyon Symposium was held in London from 4th-6th September 1997, where it was hosted by the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine.

The meeting addressed the topic of "Tribology for Energy Conservation" and attracted a wide range of stimulating papers and speakers. Some 150 delegates from nineteen countries attended and about sixty papers were presented in fifteen sessions. These covered the topics of lubricants, wear, friction reduction, hydrodynamics, elastohydrodynamic lubrication, surface roughness, manufacturing, component life (including condition monitoring), and automotive aspects.