In 1970 the word "surface engineering" has been introduced to the field of engineering and has grown rapidly in the science of the materials. Surface engineering consists of three main activities:

1-     Modification of the surface properties; including the modification against corrosion attacks, wear, adhesion, and other physical and chemical parameters.

2-     The coating technology; including paints, electrolytic coatings, electroless coatings and etc.

3-     The knowledge of the surface layers and interfaces; the studying of the properties and structures of the surface layers.

Surface engineering lab: 

This lab contains two Pin-On-Disk wear testers which are able to evaluate the wear properties of the materials and coatings. The main activities of this center are carrying the M.Sc and Ph.D students projects in the field of the surface engineering.

Abilities:

1-     The evaluation of wear properties of the materials.

2-     The evaluation of friction coefficient of the materials.

3-     Determination of the wear mechanisms.

4-     The evaluation of the temperature effects on wear properties.

• Surface Engineering

surface engineering is the sub-discipline of materials science which deals with the surface of solid matter. It has applications to chemistry, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering (particularly in relation to semiconductor manufacturing).

Solids are composed of a bulk material covered by a surface. The surface which bounds the bulk material is called the Surface phase. It acts as an interface to the surrounding environment. The bulk material in a solid is called the Bulk phase.

The surface phase of a solid interacts with the surrounding environment. This interaction can degrade the surface phase over time. Environmental degradation of the surface phase over time can be caused by wear, corrosion, fatigue and creep.

Surface engineering involves altering the properties of the Surface Phase in order to reduce the degradation over time. This is accomplished by making the surface robust to the environment in which it will be used.

The Research Centre in Surface Engineering specializes in all matters relating to the production, evaluation and characterization of coatings and surface treatments for engineering applications. We work closely with partner laboratories within the Department of Engineering Materials which specialize in topic areas such as tissue engineering and magnetic thin films.