About the Center for Advanced Friction Studies

As a University-based center, the role and scope of the Center for Advanced Friction Studies involves the education of undergraduate and graduate students in the science of friction materials and training through the research experience. Accordingly, academic programs are structured to emphasize instruction in subject areas specific to friction materials. Central to the Center's mission is completion of research programs at a level satisfying the dissertation and thesis requirements of SIUC, and the presentation of the results of the research at learned meetings and their publication in technical journals.

Unique to the Center is the focus of research on areas of fundamental interest to the friction industry in the United States. In order to ensure that the results have the potential for providing insights into critical problems, an industrial board recommends the initial programs of research, reviews the results, and suggests the development work to be carried out in the technology transfer implementation program. The governing industrial board is composed of one industry representative from each supporting company.

The Center discharges the research part of its mission by developing generic programs approved by its governing Industrial Advisory Board. Proprietary research is undertaken by the Center as part of a non-core program. This research is supported by additional funds made available to the Center by individual industries or industrial groups. Proprietary research is regarded as non-publishable. Thus, staff members of the Center tend to work on these projects along with students and faculty who are apprised of and agree in writing with the non-publishable nature of their efforts. Center personnel develop and teach courses to undergraduate and graduate students in their specialization; these courses will also be offered as short courses and seminars. Technology transfer from the Center to industry and industry to the Center are facilitated by personnel exchange and by utilizing remote interactive learning networks. Co-op programs utilizing industry-sponsored students are being developed at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Industrial representatives are invited to the campus to serve as technical residents. They lead research on both core and non-core projects and will serve as adjunct instructors and thesis advisors for the on-campus students.