An usual material, EN-GJL-250 cast iron, used for automotive braking systems, was covered with a ceramic material (105NS-1 aluminium oxide) using an industrial deposition system (Sulzer Metco). The main reason was to improve the corrosion and wear (friction) resistance properties of the cast-iron. Samples were prepared by mechanical grinding and sandblasting before the deposition. We applied two and four passes (around 12–15 µm by layer) each at 90° obtaining ceramic coatings of 30 respectively 60 µm. The surface of the samples (with ceramic coatings) was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dispersive energy spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Scratch and micro-hardness tests were performed using CETR-UMT-2 micro-tribometer equipment. The better corrosion resistance of the base material was obtained by applying the ceramic coating. The results present a better corrosion resistance and a higher coefficient of friction of the coated samples.

Based on a theoretical model and an experimental methodology for defining the friction torque in a modified thrust ball bearing having only 3 balls and presented in [2], the authors experimentally investigated the influence of the ball diameter on friction torque when operating in mixed and full film lubrication conditions and maintaining the normal load, the race curvature and oil viscosity constant. The experiments were realized using ball diameters between 7.938 mm and 3 mm corresponding to maximum Hertzian pressure between 0.264 GPa and 1 GPa and a rotational speed between 60 rpm to 240 rpm. The experiments confirmed that the measured friction torque can be explained using hydrodynamic rolling force relationships respecting the transition from IsoViscous Rigid (IVR) to ElastoHydrodynamic Lubrication (EHL) regime presented in [2].

Polyvinyl alcohol is a biocompatible polymer used very commonly both in pharmaceutical and medical fields. Being a water-soluble polymer, it is suitable for the manufacture of hydrogels as well as cryogels used for various medical applications. The present work describes the preparation, structural and physico-mechanical characterization of polyvinyl alcohol cryogels loaded with ketoprofen. By cryogenic technique the polymeric solutions are transformed under certain conditions into porous, elastic and very compressible structures. They are able to absorb a large amount of liquids that they give off by gentle compression. The prepared cryogels were evaluated for different physical, chemical and structural properties, as following: internal morphology, equilibrium swelling ratio and mechanical testing. The cryogel structures show good elasticity and optimal swelling at different temperatures. Due to these properties the studied cryogels are suitable for use in various medical applications involving liquid absorption, mechanical resistance and anti-inflammatory effect.