Top 10 TLT articles for 2025

By Rachel Fowler, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief | TLT Publisher's Pen December 2025

These standout pieces reflect the cutting-edge topics shaping our industry right now.

I’ve been working on TLT for 11 years now, and I love it. I’ve learned so much about tribology, lubrication and the industry as a whole. I’ll be honest—before I started working for STLE, I didn’t exactly know what tribology was. And now I know how important it really is in our world.

TLT was created to aid in the technical education and professional development of STLE members and industry colleagues. We’ve been sharing relevant, high-quality technical content for 22 years now, which was proven just a few months ago when TLT won a 2025 APEX Award for Publication Excellence. TLT won in the Magazines, Journals & Tabloids – Print (entire issue-over 32 pages plus cover) category. The APEX Awards for Publication Excellence is an annual competition that recognizes excellence in a wide range of print, electronic and web publications, including websites, apps, magazines, newsletters and more. Just last year, TLT received the 2024 Bronze TRENDY Award in the Monthly Professional Society Magazine category. It’s nice to see TLT receiving this recognition.

Back to TLT’s relevant technical content, we like to occasionally see what content readers like best. Here are the top 10 TLT articles that have captured the most attention from readers like you in 2025: 

1. July 2022 Lubrication Fundamentals, The Stribeck curve: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2022/07_July/Lubrication_Fundamentals.aspx 
2. March 2021 Lubrication Fundamentals, Calculating lubricant viscosity versus temperature: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2021/03_March/Lubrication_Fundamentals.aspx 
3. June 2020 Grease, The art of manufacturing grease: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2020/06_June/Grease.aspx 
4. February 2025 Feature, An unvarnished look at synthetic lubricants for compressors and turbines: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2025/02_February/Feature.aspx 
5. September 2022 Cover Story, Base oils growth: PAO and Group III: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2022/09_September/Cover_Story.aspx 
6. April 2025 Webinar, Machine learning and artificial intelligence in tribology: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2025/04_April/Webinar.aspx 
7. May 2023 Lubrication Fundamentals, Fundamentals of hydraulics: Pascal’s principle and pump designs: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2023/05_May/Lubrication_Fundamentals.aspx 
8. August 2020 Lubrication Fundamentals, Wet friction materials: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2020/08_August/Lubrication_Fundamentals.aspx 
9. October 2023 Lubrication Fundamentals, Bearings: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2023/10_October/Lubrication_Fundamentals.aspx 
10. March 2020 Feature, Metalworking Fluids: Minimizing aluminum staining: www.stle.org/files/TLTArchives/2020/03_March/Feature.aspx 

These standout pieces reflect the cutting-edge topics shaping our industry right now. Many articles weren’t published this year but are still relevant today. If you missed a past issue or want to refresh your memory on a previous topic, you can find articles dating back to 2009 in the TLT Archives at www.stle.org/TLTArchives. Stay informed, stay ahead—these articles are a must-read for tribology and lubrication professionals navigating a rapidly evolving field. 

As we close out 2025, I want to thank you for your support of STLE and for reading TLT. We wouldn’t be able to create this high-quality content without you.

You can reach TLT publisher/editor-in-chief Rachel Fowler at rfowler@stle.org.