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.

Mechanical Design: Theory and Applications, Third Edition introduces the design and selection of common mechanical engineering components and machine elements, hence providing the foundational "building blocks" engineers needs to practice their art. In this book, readers will learn how to develop detailed mechanical design skills in the areas of bearings, shafts, gears, seals, belt and chain drives, clutches and brakes, and springs and fasteners. Where standard components are available from manufacturers, the steps necessary for their specification and selection are thoroughly developed. Descriptive and illustrative information is used to introduce principles, individual components, and the detailed methods and calculations that are necessary to specify and design or select a component. As well as thorough descriptions of methodologies, this book also provides a wealth of valuable reference information on codes and regulations.

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.