Bonus Content for STLE Members
Tribology and lubrication research
By Nicole Gleeson, Editorial Coordinator | TLT Award Winning Research July 2026
Explore excellence in tribology and lubrication research with these award-winning papers from Tribology Transactions journal.
Each year at the annual meeting, STLE recognizes a select group of individuals for their outstanding technical achievements in the field of tribology and lubrication through its publishing awards. All publishing awards are for papers appearing in Tribology Transactions, STLE’s bi-monthly scientific journal that contains peer-reviewed experimental and theoretical technical papers on lubrication, friction and wear of materials from the macro- to the nano-scale. Tribology Transactions features more than 2,000 published papers of relevance to a wide variety of industries and is read and referenced by thought-leaders in the field of tribology in countries around the world.
STLE members have full online access to Tribology Transactions and can search the complete archives of thousands of technical articles. Be sure to take full advantage of your STLE member benefits by keeping up with the latest tribology and lubrication research. Click here to explore more about Tribology Transactions, including member access, manuscript submission information and a list of editors.
The following papers were recognized at the 2026 STLE Annual Meeting for their excellence as the most outstanding research in the journal.
Edmond E. Bisson Award
The Bisson Award was named in honor of Edmond E. Bisson, a former STLE editor-in-chief who was instrumental in establishing the society’s reputation as a technical publisher. Established in 1991, the award is given to STLE members or non-members for the best written contribution published by the society in the year preceding the Annual Meeting. The contribution must deal with tribology, lubrication engineering or allied disciplines.
The winner of the Edmond E. Bisson Award is Study on Rotor-Bearing Dynamic Performance of a Novel Motorized Spindle Supported by Water-Lubricated Hydrodynamic Spiral Grooved Bearings by Xun Huang, Ge Xu and Shuyun Jiang from Southeast University.
Abstract
The water-lubricated hydrodynamic spiral grooved bearings have been utilized to support the high-speed motorized spindle. However, the viscous damping effect of water is much weaker than that of the oil, so the dynamic behavior and the stability of the motorized spindle with the water-lubricated spiral grooved bearings need to be studied thoroughly. This paper established an improved rotor-bearing dynamic model for the motorized spindle by incorporating both the distributed effect of journal bearing and the tilting effect of thrust bearing into a turbulent thermohydrodynamic lubrication model. An experimental setup for the motorized spindle was developed to measure the spindle dynamic behaviors and verify the established dynamic model. The critical speeds, the transient dynamics and the stability of the motorized spindle are studied theoretically and experimentally. The results show that the motorized spindle with the water-lubricated spiral grooved bearings can operate at high speeds with a satisfactory supporting stiffness and exhibits an excellent operational stability.
Frank P. Bussick Award
The Frank P. Bussick Award is presented for the outstanding published technical paper written on sealing systems, technology and materials. The award is sponsored by the STLE Seals Technical Committee and honors a former committee chair and STLE board member.
The winner of the Frank P. Bussick Award is Analysis of Wear Characteristics of Hydrodynamic Seals During Startup Using 3D Fractal Characterization and Study of Opening Performance Degradation Mechanism by Enzhe Bi, Shuangxi Li, Zhixing Zhai, Baiqi Huang and Jiangteng Zhang from Beijing University of Chemical Technology and Xinghua Liu from China State Shipbuilding Co., Ltd.
Abstract
An experimental study was conducted to investigate the degradation mechanism of the opening performance of hydrodynamic seals during multiple startups, and a model was proposed to analyze the wear characteristics during the startup process. The study that the state evolution of the hydrodynamic seal during the single startup process occurs in five stages: low-speed and heavy-load stage, mid-speed and mid-load stage, high-speed and light-load stage, intermittent contact stage and noncontact stage. The main factor that influences the deterioration of the initial performance of hydrodynamic seals during multiple startups is the decrease in the depth of the root groove. To prevent the heavy deterioration of the opening performance of the hydrodynamic seal, it is important that the remaining depth of the tip of spiral groove (TSG) is greater than 47.67% of the initial value and the dimensionless startup time should not exceed 0.42 for a complete passage through the mid-speed and mid-load stage.
Walter D. Hodson Award
The Hodson Award was established in 1950 and is given to the lead author of the best paper written by an STLE member 35 years of age or younger and published by the society in the year preceding the Annual Meeting. The purpose of the award is to stimulate the interest of young engineers in the science of tribology and lubrication and the activities of STLE.
The winner of the Walter D. Hodson Award is Surface Interaction and Wear Due to Sliding Electrical Contact of Materials by Xiaoman Wang, Q. Jane Wang, W. Wayne Chen, Yip-Wah Chung, Yuan Yuan and Shuangbiao Liu from Northwestern University; Hirotaka Miwa, Toshikazu Nanbu and Yoshitaka Uehara from Nissan Research Center; and Dong Zhu from Tri-Tech Solutions.
Abstract
This article reports a research study on sliding electrical contacts of copper–diamond materials, involving modeling and validation, contact status simulations and parametric studies. The simulation model includes the analyses of both mechanical and electrical heat sources, evaluations of heat partition and temperature and the capture of material thermal softening, plastic deformation and material removal. The simulation model is validated through result comparison with experimental average temperature and measured wear. With this model, temperature variation and surface wear accumulation were numerically predicted under the influences of material property variations. Factors influencing wear of the copper surfaces were explored, and parameter sensitivity was investigated by means of the Taguchi L18 matrix. The results reveal that thermally related parameters of the contact interface strongly affect the wear of the copper pin, and thermal conductivity of its mating surface material is of critical importance. The research also suggests that the electromagnetic field change due to switching the polarity of the power supply does not affect the friction and wear results; however, the polarity change influences material electrochemistry, which results in a difference in friction and wear.
Wilbur Deutsch Memorial Award
The Deutsch Award is named for a former STLE president and recognizes the most outstanding technical paper written on the practical aspects of lubrication published by the society in the year preceding the Annual Meeting.
The winner of the Wilbur Deutsch Memorial Award is Investigations on the Influence of Synthetic Lubricants on the Pitting Load Carrying Capacity of Cylindrical Gears by Markus Brummer, Thomas Tobie and Karsten Stahl from Technical University of Munich and Johannes Koenig from ZF Friedrichshafen AG.
Abstract
Synthetic lubricants show advantageous properties compared to mineral oils. In gearboxes, a higher pitting load carrying capacity can be achieved, enhancing the power density. ISO 6336-2 is a well-known standard for calculating the safety factor against pitting for gears. The standard was mainly developed based on test results with mineral oils, giving limited assessment on the pitting load carrying capacity for synthetic lubricants. In this research, pitting load carrying capacity tests were conducted on an FZG back-to-back gear test rig with different lubricants based on mineral oil, polyalphaolefin and polyglycol, each of ISO VG 100. The results were analyzed with the standard ISO 6336-2 and an alternative approach according to Knauer (FZG, 1988), which addresses lubricating properties more in-depth. The analysis of the test results shows the limitations of the standard and further need for research to adequately quantify the pitting load carrying capacity of synthetic lubricants.
Captain Alfred E. Hunt Award
Named for ALCOA’s first president, this award is given annually to the STLE member or members authoring the best technical paper dealing with the field of lubrication or an allied field.
The winner of the Captain Alfred E. Hunt Award is Film Thickness in Grease-Lubricated Deep Groove Ball Bearings—A Master Curve by Pramod Shetty, Robert Jan Meijer, Jude A. Osara and Piet M. Lugt from University of Twente and Rihard Pasaribu from Shell Downstream Services International BV.
Abstract
Film thickness in a grease-lubricated bearing is a critical bearing operation parameter, yet there are no models available to predict it. The authors’ recent articles demonstrated that the relative film thickness (ℎ𝑔/ℎ𝑓𝑓) can be predicted using the base oil viscosity (𝜂), half contact width (b) and linear speed (u) for any axially loaded deep groove ball bearing. In this article, they extend this study to include radial loads and combined—axial and radial—loads. Radial load application causes an additional replenishment in the unloaded zone, introducing a new length variable 𝑧𝑟 and surface tension 𝜎. A universal power-law relationship between the relative film thickness in a deep groove ball bearing and the nondimensional number (𝜂𝑏𝑢)/(𝑧𝑟𝜎) for all loading and grease lubrication conditions is presented for use in predicting film thickness.
Al Sonntag Award
The Sonntag Award was established in 1983 and is given to an STLE member or members authoring the best technical paper on solid lubricants published by the society in the year preceding the Annual Meeting.
The winner of the Al Sonntag Award is Effect of Molybdenum Bisulfide (MoS2) Particle Size on Tribological and Vibration Reduction Properties of Thermoplastic Polyurethane by Zhanmo Zheng, Conglin Dong, Xiuqin Bai, Chengqing Yuan and Yuhang Wu from Wuhan University of Technology and Xiangjun Zhang from China Classification Society Wuhan Branch.
Abstract
The incorporation of lubricating filler can improve the self-lubricating properties of polymers and mitigate friction-induced vibration under harsh conditions. However, filler performances significantly vary depending on its size. In this study, molybdenum bisulfide (MoS2) particles of various sizes were utilized as lubricating additives to reinforce thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). The results showed that an appropriate decrease in the particle size of MoS2 facilitated more efficient stress transfer from the polymer to the particle due to strengthened interfacial interaction, resulting in improved mechanical properties of the reinforced TPU composites. Additionally, the adsorption property of the MoS2 particle improved, extending the duration of the MoS2 tribofilm. These beneficial phenomena endow TPU composites with excellent tribological and frictional vibration reduction properties, with the 500 nm MoS2 presenting the best reinforcing effect. However, further reduction in particle size caused particle agglomeration, which adversely affected the mechanical and self-lubricating properties of the composite and eventually reduced the frictional vibration reduction properties. The findings obtained herein provide a valuable reference for developing a novel polymer with excellent friction and vibration reduction properties.