IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 306 
Recognizing the impact of tribology on the United States economy and com-
petitiveness in providing solutions to critical technical problems in manu-
facturing, energy production and use, transportation vehicles and infra-
structure, greenhouse gas emissions, defense and homeland security, 
health care, mining safety and reliability, and space exploration, among 
others, and recognizing the need for increased research and development 
investments in tribology and related fields. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MAY 2, 2017 
Mr. RYAN of Ohio (for himself, Mr. LIPINSKI, and Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE 
of Pennsylvania) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 
to the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the impact of tribology on the United States 
economy and competitiveness in providing solutions to 
critical technical problems in manufacturing, energy pro-
duction and use, transportation vehicles and infrastruc-
ture, greenhouse gas emissions, defense and homeland 
security, health care, mining safety and reliability, and 
space exploration, among others, and recognizing the 
need for increased research and development investments 
in tribology and related fields. 
Whereas tribology is a branch of science and engineering en-
compassing scientific disciplines related to the controlling 
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of friction, reduction of wear loss, and development and 
application of novel lubrication strategies; 
Whereas almost every aspect of our lives is impacted by tech-
nologies that benefit from the ability to control friction 
and wear loss; 
Whereas approximately a third of the world’s primary energy 
consumption is attributed to friction, and about 70 per-
cent of equipment failures is blamed on lubrication break-
down and wear loss; 
Whereas loss of energy to friction and material losses due to 
wear in mechanical systems such as internal combustion 
and gas turbine engines account for huge economic and 
environmental burdens; 
Whereas finding ways to minimize friction and wear through 
new technologies in tribology can have an enormous im-
pact on the economy; 
Whereas improving durability of goods and equipment has a 
dramatic impact on reducing our demand for finite re-
sources such as raw materials; 
Whereas proper application of tribology principles reduces en-
ergy usage, lowers the cost of maintenance and replace-
ment, and increases reliability; 
Whereas new solid lubricants and biodegradable and synthetic 
lubricants developed from fundamental research are crit-
ical to a greener and more sustainable future; 
Whereas improvements in manufacturing productivity and ef-
ficiency enabled by reduction of friction and wear loss are 
crucial to our economic competitiveness; 
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Whereas energy conservation and successful generation of 
clean energy, such as with wind turbines, rely on prin-
ciples of tribology; 
Whereas reduction of friction is at the very core of improving 
fuel economy and reducing greenhouse gas emissions; 
Whereas safety, reliability, and durability of mechanical prod-
ucts and systems have critical implications on our global 
reputation with respect to trade and exported goods; 
Whereas reduction of friction and increasing durability of ar-
tificial joints, prosthetics, and implants are crucial to 
maintaining quality of life for veterans and the aging 
population; 
Whereas tribology is used to improve everyday personal care 
products such as toothpaste, skin creams, and hair prod-
ucts; 
Whereas tribology principles are crucial to our national de-
fense and homeland security through the use of lighter- 
weight weapon systems, more efficient and safe operation 
in a wide range of environments, higher reliability, longer 
life, and reduced maintenance; 
Whereas scientific understanding of friction and wear loss im-
proves maintenance and reliability of the Nation’s trans-
portation infrastructure, resulting in a better return on 
public funding and gains in public safety; 
Whereas mining safety and reliability and durability of min-
ing equipment can be improved through proper use of 
tribology; 
Whereas reliability, function, and durability of outer space 
mechanisms and rockets are essential for future space 
missions; and 
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Whereas the enormous potential of tribology in solving global 
challenges is hampered by limited investments in re-
search, thus limiting innovations in new materials and lu-
brication technologies: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the impact of tribology on the 
United States economy and competitiveness; 
(2) recognizes the importance of tribology in 
providing solutions to critical technical problems in 
manufacturing, energy production and use, transpor-
tation vehicles and infrastructure, greenhouse gas 
emissions, defense and homeland security, health 
care, mining safety and reliability, and space explo-
ration, among other sectors; 
(3) encourages Federal agencies to develop and 
implement 
programs 
and 
projects 
related 
to 
tribology; 
(4) encourages the formation of public-private 
partnerships to advance fundamental research and 
accelerate the development of tribology-related prod-
ucts and technologies; 
(5) recognizes the need for increased research 
and development investments in tribology and re-
lated fields; and 
(6) encourages the National Academy of Engi-
neering to conduct a comprehensive survey of the 
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status of research and development in academia and 
government laboratories and recommend a course of 
action to accelerate innovations in tribology. 
Æ 
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