Triborheology Short Course and Special Session at SoR (RVF 2026)

Organizers

Lilian Hsiao (North Carolina State University)

Antonio Perazzio (Novaflux)

Summary

This project will support a triborheology theme at the 2026 Society of Rheology Annual Meeting through two linked activities: a 2-day short course on ‘Tribo-rheology in dry and wet systems’ and a special session at the main meeting featuring invited speakers working at the intersection of rheology, friction, lubrication, and soft interfaces. The short course will cover the fundamentals and practice of triborheology, including friction laws for dry and wet systems, Stribeck behavior, soft and adhesive contacts, rheological models for non-Newtonian lubricants, confinement effects, tribo-rheometry, and case studies involving consumer products, food and beverages, hygiene materials, and biomedical systems. Special emphasis will be placed on connecting tribo-rheology concepts to practical challenges in formulation, manufacturing, lubrication, haptic systems, consumer products, food, biomedical systems, and soft materials.

RVF support will fund 6 invited speakers connected to this programming, including those from industry, academia, and national laboratories with a strong background in triborheology, as well as a hosted lunch for invited speakers and organizers. The goal is to use the short course and special session together so that both industrial and academic participants gain value across the full meeting rather than attending a single event. Participants will be able to learn the technical framework in the short course, then stay for the main meeting to hear invited talks, interact with speakers, and connect ideas to current research and applications. An additional set of poster awards in the area of triborheology for students and postdocs will encourage them to present work relevant to the special topic.

Expected Outcomes

The expected outcomes are increased visibility for triborheology within SoR, stronger participation from industrial scientists and engineers, and more durable exchange between researchers working on rheology, lubrication, friction, soft interfaces, and formulation science. We also expect that coupling the short course and special session will improve retention across the meeting by giving attendees a reason to participate in more than one triborheology-related event. Metrics of success will include short-course enrollment, with a target of at least 35 participants; attendance at the special session and related triborheology programming, with a target of at least 50 attendees; full participation of the six invited speakers; a hosted lunch with approximately 8 to 12 participants including invited speakers and organizers. A further metric will be evidence evidence of increased cross-engagement (e.g.: attendees participating in both the short course and special session) follow-up interest from industrial participants, or requests for future triborheology programming at SoR. We will also assess whether attendees from outside the traditional rheology community, such as the Society of Tribology and Lubrication Engineers (STLE), view the meeting as a useful venue for sustained participation rather than a single-event visit.

By early summer 2026, the invited speaker lineup, short-course coordination, and hosted lunch plan will be finalized. By late summer, the triborheology initiative will be publicized through meeting materials and direct outreach to relevant academic and industrial communities. During the annual SoR meeting, the short course, special session, and invited-speaker lunch will take place as linked activities. Within one month after the meeting, the organizers will prepare a brief summary of outcomes and recommendations for future programming.

Impact on SoR’s Mission

This project directly advances SoR’s mission by increasing industry engagement and by expanding the knowledge and practice of rheology through education, partnership, and collaboration. The initiative strengthens SoR’s value proposition for industrial members by connecting rheological fundamentals with product design, process optimization, and performance evaluation. Tribo-rheology is well suited because it connects core rheological thinking to applied problems that matter in manufacturing, consumer products, lubrication, touch and haptics, biomedical materials, and soft interfaces. The proposed short course already reflects that breadth in both its fundamental and applied content. More specifically, this initiative aims to create a meeting structure that provides real value to both academic and industrial participants, encourages them to remain engaged across the meeting rather than attending a single isolated event, and gives triborheology a more visible identity within SoR. The goal is to create stronger continuity across programming, increase interaction between academic and industrial participants, and establish tribo-rheology and soft tribology as a visible application area within the broader SoR community