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The article offers information on the advantages of the micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS) as a technology for lubrication. It mentions that MEMS can address issues on adhesion, friction, and wear problems in MEMS gears, motors, turbines and sliders through its ability to eliminate stiction by combining its organic self-assembling monolayers (SAMs) in the device. Meanwhile, it explores the development of the MEMS device in 1990 which is used to measure friction.

The article discusses several factors that affect oil consumption and deposit formation in engines and compressors. It examines research, which were designed to develop formulas to estimate piston ring conformability and help engineers design better engines, conducted through the theory of elasticity and Fourier Transform analysis. Researchers have found that aerosol formation could contribute to oil consumption. Moreover, it highlights several tools that were developed to evaluate the three dimensions of a cylinder, including the interferometer and a mechanism holding a rod loaded with a strip of proprietary replicating material.

The article offers a brief history on rolling element bearings (REBs) and notes the role computers play in their design. It says that bearings date back to 40 A.D. after the discovery of a wooden ball bearing supporting a rotating table from the remains of a Roman ship. In 1898, Henry Timken patented the tapered roller bearing and formed a company to produce it. In 1907, Sven Wingquist invented the modern self-aligning ball bearing. In the 1950s, George Schaeffler developed the cage needle bearing which has proven very helpful to the automotive industry. With the advent of computers in the late 1950s, researchers developed a numerical solution to elastohydrodynamic lubrication for line-contact bearings. The article asks five experts on their views on the latest trends in bearing design.

The article discusses the use of filter debris analysis (FDA) as a diagnostic tool and of differential pressure monitoring. According to the article, the history of FDA goes back to 1986 when Aiden Donahue, manager of condition assessment services for GasTOPS, was a senior Air Force technician working with Canadian Defense Research on an FDA project. It states that the use of the FilterCHECK, an FDA instrument, not only saved aircraft, it led to maintenance and design changes. It is inferred that the obvious limitation to FDA is that it is a discreet batch process that can be performed only when the filter is changed out. A list of the benefits of differential pressure monitoring is indicated, which includes its appropriateness for all types of filters and fluid systems.

The article focuses on sludge and varnish, which is a growing problem in power generation and other gas-turbine applications. Mark Okazaki, the Chevron senior staff scientist who formulated the company's turbine oils, points to oxidation and static discharge as the two main causes of sludge and varnish. Other potential root causes include micro-dieseling, incompatible oils and additives, contamination with chemicals, and contamination with cleaning fluids. Some ways to prevent all damage from gas turbine lubricant varnish are presented.

The article focuses on the analysis of the lubrication properties of rosin in violins. It said that temperature is the most important things about rosin according to Jim Woodhouse, violinist and researcher of the Engineering Department of Cambridge University in England. It is believed that there is a law that incorporates viscosity and temperature that will bond into the dynamics of the string to produce stick-slip motion.

The article examines the tribology of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Steve Patton, of the University of Dayton Research Center, and his team worked on the siding surfaces in microscopic MEMS motor. Patton also studied direct current MEMS switches and developed a MEMS switch simulator. Capacitive switches was investigated by Patton.

Several letters to the editor are presented in response to articles in previous issues including "20 Minutes With..." in the May 2008 issue, "Regaining former customers" in the April 2008 issue, and "Updating Da Vinci: The role of computers in bearing design" in the June 2008 issue.