Young scientists from the Gdansk University of Technology participate in the prestigious PETRI programme, run by the European Space Agency. As part of the Solid Lubricants in µGravity from Gdansk (SLugG) project, they are seeking answers to the question of how gravitational acceleration and low pressure affect the properties of lubricants used in the space industry.

The research will use a novel vibration tribometer developed at the Gdansk university. By observing the friction-related vibration damping coefficient, and by using a solid lubricant, the team expects to achieve measurement uncertainties several orders of magnitude smaller than in previous experiments.

The project is being carried out in collaboration with the ZARM centre at the University of Bremen. There, there is a drop tower that allows experiments to be carried out under conditions of weightlessness obtained by free fall from a high altitude, usually in a vacuum.

Read more: https://pg.edu.pl/aktualnosci/2023-05/kosmiczne-technologie-pod-lupa-badaczy-z-pg