Q2 Webinars Open for Registration

Welcome to the second quarter, and here's hoping your year has been productive so far. We know we've certainly been busy with webinars! The next three months we're featuring: how to flush a turbine oil system, sins of hydraulic system design and hydraulic fluid failure, grease additives and cleanliness, and lubrication of wire ropes/chains. See below for more details on each and to preview upcoming topics.

Successfully Flushing a Turbine Oil System
Date/Time: Wednesday, April 16, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Greg Livingstone, Fluitec International
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)
Greg also presented a previous webinar, Understanding Turbine Oil Failure - click here for more information, or here to purchase.

Cardinal Sins of Hydraulic System Design
Date/Time: Friday, May 2, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Rod Erickson, Eaton Corporation
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)

Performance Additives for Lubricating Greases
Date/Time: Wednesday, May 7, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Gareth Fish, The Lubrizol Corporation
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)

Wire Ropes & Chains: Wear Mechanisms & Means of Lubrication and Maintenance
Date/Time: Thursday, May 8, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Paul Conley, SKF
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)

Grease Particle Evaluation: Meaningful Measurement of Matter?
Date/Time: Thursday, June 5, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Joseph Kaperick, Afton Chemical Corporation
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)

Why Hydraulic Fluids Fail
Date/Time: Wednesday, June 11, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Greg Livingstone, Fluitec International
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)

Q3 Webinar Topics:

• 7/16: Fluorocarbons with instructor Thomas Blunt, DuPont
• 7/30: Metalworking Corrosion Issues & Test Methods with instructor Jerry Byers, Cimcool
• 8/6: Grease & Oil Lubricant Failure Analysis, with instructor Paul Shiller, University of Akron
• 8/20: Grease: The Niche Market Opportunity, with instructor Chuck Coe, Grease Technology Solutions LLC
• 9/17: Synthetic Metal Removal Fluids, with instructor Alan Eckard
• 9/23: Lubrication Selection for Rolling Element Bearings, with instructor Jim Oliver, SKF Bearings

[Click here] to see all topics booked for 2014 (new events posted as information becomes available)
[Click here] to download all upcoming and archived webinars sorted by topic
[Click here] to view online events in our calendar

Congratulations, STLE!

Professor Luo with Past President Jerry Byers

Professor Jianbin Luo, recipient of the STLE International Award, has sent a letter of congratulations to STLE for our 70th anniversary.

You can read/view the letter here.

Would you like to write a letter of congratulations to STLE? Or, would you simply like to share a memory or story about your STLE membership? You can email it to anniversary@stle.org. 

Wow, 70 years!

It doesn’t seem that long ago that the STLE celebrated 50 years with fireworks in Pittsburgh (1994) and held the 50th Annual Meeting in Chicago the following year (Editor’s Note: we’ll be in Chicago again in 2020 for our 75th anniversary).  I joined the STLE 24 years ago and have enjoyed every minute.  My only regret is that I didn’t join earlier in my career.  I attended my first Annual Meeting in Denver in 1990 and took advantage of several excellent education courses along with the technical sessions.  I was pleasantly surprised to find the same sense of family and camaraderie between the attendees at the Annual Meeting as I was quickly finding within the local Alberta Section. 

Due to the great people involved with the Alberta Section at that time, and my normal commitment to help whenever I can, it didn’t take very long for me to jump in head first.  Within no time I was helping out the Alberta Section as a Program Director and have continued on the Section executive ever since.  In addition, I quickly found myself helping out internationally on one of the Industry Councils and more recently, on the Education Committee. 

This year will be 20 years since I successfully challenged the CLS exam and about 9 years ago for the OMA.   The CLS, OMA as well as the other STLE certification programs have been a great addition to the Society and have also helped members develop and measure their lubrication knowledge.

For the last 6 years I have had the sincere pleasure to serve the Society on the Board of Directors.  I really didn’t think it was possible that my association with the society, and its members, could get any better than it already was but being able to work on the Board has truly been an honor.   I would also like to take the opportunity to thank the STLE Staff.  Their time and dedication is second to none.

Being an active member of the STLE has truly been a pleasure.  The number of benefits that I personally have received from the STLE are too numerous to count.  The depth of knowledge that I have absorbed from the Society and from my participating colleagues has made a significant contribution on my career path and status today. It would be an understatement to suggest that I wouldn't be in my present job if it wasn't for the influence of the STLE on my lubrication knowledge and personal development.

Happy 70th Birthday STLE.  I’m so glad I got to witness the last 24 years, and I wish I could ride along for the next 70 to come.

-Paul Hetherington, Petro-Canada Lubricants, Inc., STLE Board Member

Special Message from our President, Rob Heverly

In honor of our 70th anniversary, take a moment to view a special message from our President, Rob Heverly:



Do you have any memories, stories or photos that you'd like to share with the community, focusing on your experiences with STLE? If so, please send them to anniversary@stle.org. We look forward to hearing your views and history with the organization!

STLE: Happy 70th!

STLE has clearly reached another milestone in its growth and development as a relevant society serving the Tribological world and the Lubricants industry.  Happy Birthday STLE!

STLE’s path to 70, like that of most people, is a growth process marked by many shifts and changes which have molded and tempered the organization into what it is today.  Most of my career has been in some form of research and development with various divisions in two different companies.  If we didn't create change: new services, products and processes, we didn't survive.  Indeed, it is some these changes in STLE that I would like to note here.

When I joined STLE in 1981, we were strongly driven by the technical program at the annual meeting.  Most papers were also critiqued by a notable expert in the area in a five or ten minute presentation following the paper as well as the typical question and answer session.  Let me tell you the ‘fur got to flying” in some of those sessions!  At the time, the Aerospace Industry Council, Solid Film Lubricants, Non-ferrous, and Seals technical committees were very strong.  They, on their own, hosted astronauts to speak, published their own technical books and manuals, and even held independent mini-conferences in their subject areas.  The only other activity at the annual meeting was the hospitality suites sponsored by various member companies.  This was their only real chance to interact with current or potential customers other than in the hallways and at an off-site restaurant.

Then, beginning in the late 1980s through the leadership of BOD member, Ed Kane, we began a golf outing, and later a trade show area, and the commercial marketing forum.  These changes caused a real fur-fight among many of our members.  Some claiming that all these commercial activities would dilute the technical program, that STLE would lose its technical reputation, change the whole temperament of the annual meeting and the society in general, etc., etc.  While others said, “We (Industry) are paying for everything anyway; we ought to get something out the meeting.” Further, they said  these changes would broaden the scope and content of society, add new members and companies, increase revenues, etc., etc.

And, indeed that is just what happened. The society is more than double in size and now there is something for everyone and yet STLE’s technical reputation is still intact.

Another big change, initially spearheaded by past-president John Hermann, who is now with ExxonMobil, was the increased emphasis on developing an international presence.  This prompted, in 1987, the change in the name of the society from the American Society of Lubrication Engineers (ASLE) to the current name to reflect our more international outlook.  Needless to say, there was again a lot of fur-flying over that change.  As late as 1998, when I joined STLE’s staff and would visit various sections, there were people who would still tell me that it was the stupidest thing we ever did.  We really didn't quite know how to develop international relationships and are still learning, but we have come a very long way from those early US/Canada centric days: we currently have ongoing relationships with many groups: in North America – ASME, SME, ABMA, and ILMA; we are members of the International Tribology Council (ITC) and STLE hosted 2005 World Tribology Congress; and we have active joint programs in: Asia (JSTLE, KSTLE, CTI and TSI), Africa (SAIT and Ghana), Europe (OilDoc, LubMat and UEIL), South America (Bolivia), and Caribbean (Trinidad).  Somehow, we seem, yet, to have survived again.

Probably the biggest sea-change, that caused loud shouting in Board meetings and elsewhere, was the introduction of the Certified Lubrication Specialist program (CLS) in 1993.  There were those who said that we would make ourselves open to law suits, we would no longer be viewed as a technical society, we don’t know how to do it, and we don’t have the resources to administer it.  And, indeed, we learned some harsh lessons along the way, but we steadily learned and grew the program and added new certifications as well.  Our credibility in the marketplace is excellent, about 1/3 of our members hold some kind of certification and those certified according Lube ‘N’ Greases magazine earn more money and have more people reporting to them than their uncertified peers.  So, I guess, once again, we seemed to have survived.

Now we have broadened the way people can access the Society utilizing technology solutions.  Again we are still learning, but now have live and archived webinars; podcasts; digital publishing of three organs: TLT, Letters and Transactions; Tribology Netbase, an online electronic library; and online membership directory; and social media tools: Facebook, LinkedIn, Flickr, YouTube, this STLE Blog.

So, once again to me, change is normal, or it had better be, without change you won’t survive.  The proof of that is STLE turning 70 this year, certainly different from when I joined, but stronger and better than ever.

Happy Birthday!

-Robert Gresham, Director of Professional Development, STLE

Five Things to Like About STLE

STLE makes some history this month by celebrating our 70th anniversary as an organization.  We were founded in Chicago, Illinois, on March 3, 1944 and have been located in the Chicago-area for all of our seven decades of continuous operation.

My personal history with STLE dates to September 1996 when I joined the staff as the designated successor to long-time Executive Director Maxine Hensley.  She retired in May of 1997 after 25 years of dedicated and distinguished service to the organization.

One of my first objectives at that time was to oversee implementation of a strategic plan that was designated as STLE 2000.  The goal was to modernize and improve the society in terms of internal operations, governance and scope of services.  That initial plan, and several successor plans developed and implemented in the 21st century, have made STLE a much different organization than it was when I arrived on the scene more than 17 years ago.

After reflecting on the projects, people and places that I have enjoyed working with since 1996, I will take a shot at pointing to five things STLE has accomplished and that are still evolving as sources of value for our membership and for the lubricants and tribology business worldwide.

1. STLE certification programs are recognized as the mark of a professional in the lubricants business.  More than 1,000 individuals hold a current designation for Certified Lubrication Specialist (CLS), Oil Monitoring Analyst (OMA) or Certified Metalworking Fluid Specialist (CMWFS).  Recognition is growing worldwide for each of the programs as tests are translated to other languages and the body of knowledge for each area is more clearly defined and made more easily accessible.  
2. Digital services delivery has enabled STLE to expand the reach of its educational mission throughout the world.  We were an early adopter of online education technology and web-based information.  Most recently, a monthly webinar education program has enabled thousands of individuals to bolster their knowledge by listening to presentations on virtually every aspect of lubricants and tribology – at an affordable price and without ever leaving their workspace.
3. TLT magazine, celebrating its 10 year anniversary in 2014, continues to write a success story for its content and appearance and as an advertising outlet.  Members consistently rank it as the number one benefit of membership.  Tribology Transactions, the STLE technical journal, continues to run strong and has made the transition to the digital publishing world thanks to the help and support of our publishing partners at Taylor & Francis.
4. International membership is nothing new for STLE.  But, in recent years, we are becoming an organization with a global perspective on serving members and understanding the challenges facing our technical and business segment.  Case in point – we currently have 5 international board members (more than 20% of the board).  In addition, member advisory councils have been formed in Europe, China and Latin America.
5. STLE, like many other technical societies, has had to refresh the organization by attracting younger members to the profession and to leadership at all levels.  We’ve put some money behind this goal by providing scholarships and research funding to students with a genuine interest in the field.  More recently, we’ve added student poster sessions at conferences and created networking and career mentoring opportunities.  The impact is noticeable when you look at photos of an STLE conference or local section meeting – lots of young faces learning the business through our organization.

Let me make a final point about STLE and its exceptional team of volunteer leaders, members and staff. This is an organization that spends more time looking to the future than to admiring past accomplishments. As we head into the 2014 Annual Meeting, we are in the first year of another bold strategic plan.  One of the goals is to generate an annual report that benchmarks and tracks emerging trends in the tribology and lubricants field.  The first iteration of this report, due out in May, points to a field with the potential to solve the challenges and develop the products demanded changes in end user preferences, product design or environmental standards.

How all these trends and predictions will play out is clearly a bit of a guessing game.  But what’s much more certain, to my mind, is the fact that STLE will continue to be an exceptional resource that educates and supports men and women worldwide who’ll be making these things happen in the future.

So Happy Birthday STLE!  Your proud past has built the foundation for what will be an amazing future.

-Edward P. Salek, Executive Director, STLE

STLE is Turning 70!

STLE was founded March 3, 1944, making this year our 70th anniversary. Join us in celebrating next week (and all month) – we’ll have lots of great activities, drawings, events and more for members including a chance to participate in our celebration!

Ways you can participate:

• Contribute to the STLE history sampling by sending a photo, story or memory
• Submit a tribology or lubrication best practice or tip for our special feature in TLT
• Register for our FREE webinar on 3/6, "Tribology, Force and Motion from Ancient Egypt to Present Time," given by Rafael Tadmor, Lamar University | Register Now! Note: Limited to first 100 registrants (all others can sign up to view the recording). 
• Win STLE swag at your local section
• Follow @STLE_Tribology on Twitter for unique and fun facts about STLE, including an infographic about the organization (coming soon!)
• Watch a quick video message from our President, Robert Heverly

Submissions can be sent to anniversary@stle.org – you may see your story in TLT, on our website, or in another outlet related to our anniversary.

And a big THANK YOU to all of our members and supporters - we wouldn't be the same organization without you! 

Q1 Webinars Open for Registration

To kick off the new year, we'll be featuring a variety of topics in the next 3 months including: filters and filtration, amines, hydraulics, turbine oil failure, additive selection for MWFs, and engine oil engine test development. See below for more details on each and to preview upcoming topics.

Advanced Filters & Filtration
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 22, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: John Duchowski, HYDAC
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)
John also presented a previous webinar, Fundamentals of Filters & Filtration - click here for more information, or here to purchase.

Amines 101
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 29, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Pat Brutto, Dow
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)

Basic Hydraulics
Date/Time: Wednesday, February 12, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Robert Gresham, STLE
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)
Other webinars presented by Bob include: Bearing Fundamentals (purchase), Basic Synthetics (purchase), and Fundamentals of Grease (purchase).

Understanding the Multiple Ways Turbine Oils Fail
Date/Time: Thursday, February 20, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Greg Livingstone, Fluitec International
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)
Other webinars to be presented by Greg include: Flushing a Lubrication System (4/16), and Hydraulic Fluid Degradation (final topic TBA; held 6/11).

Guidelines for Selecting Additives to Use in Metalworking Fluids
Date/Time: Thursday, March 20, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Neil Canter, Chemical Solutions
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)
Neil previously presented Challenges in Using Environmentally Friendly Fluids. Click here for more information, or here to purchase.

So You Want to Develop Engine Oil Engine Tests
Date/Time: Thursday, March 20, 2014; 12-1 pm CDT (with additional time for Q&A from 1-1:30)
Instructor: Don Smolenski, Evonik
Cost: $39 for members; $59 for non-members
[Click here] for more information
[Click here] to register now (please log in at www.stle.org, then click the registration link)
Don previously presented Component Performance in Formulating Engine Oils. Click here for more information or here to purchase.

Q2 Webinar Topics:

• 4/16: Successfully lushing a Turbine Oil System, with instructor Greg Livingstone, Fluitec International
• 4/18: Cardinal Sins of Hydraulic System Design, with instructor Rod Erickson, EATON
• 5/7: Performance Additives for Lubricating Greases, with instructor Gareth Fish, Lubrizol
• 5/8: Wire Ropes & Chains: Wear Mechanisms & Means of Lubrication and Maintenance, with instructor Paul Conley, SKF
• 6/5: Grease Particle Evaluation: Meaningful Measurement of Matter?, with instructor Joe Kaperick, Afton
• 6/11: Why Hydraulic Fluids Fail, with instructor Greg Livingstone, Fluitec International

[Click here] to see all topics booked for 2014 (new events posted as information becomes available)
[Click here] to download all upcoming and archived webinars sorted by topic
[Click here] to view online events in our calendar

Turbine Oil Degradation with Greg Livingstone, Fluitec International

Join us for this week's interview, where we talk with Greg Livingstone, Chief Marketing Officer of Fluitec International about dealing with turbine oil degradation. He covers the types of oils used in turbines and their properties, different modes of degradation and where/when they can occur, as well as solutions to common issues like varnish. 

Click below to play the interview, or click here to download and listen to the file, or click here to read the transcript.



You may also be interested in our interview with Greg on Turbine Oil Selection.

Happy listening!

The Nature of Genius & Tesla

I just finished reading Nikola Tesla: Imagination and the Man That Invented the 20th Century, by Sean Patrick (got it free for my Kindle). As of today's post, it's still available for free at Amazon. It was an interesting read, especially so given its tie to next month's Sounding Board column in TLT.

Our readers have just finished responding to a survey that asked about the nature of genius (your definition), which genius (living or dead) you'd most like to meet and what you'd ask that person, whether you've met a genius, and if you could magically become a genius, would you like to or not? Respondents to the survey would like to meet Tesla, as well as many other folks like Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Leonardo da Vinci, Steve Jobs and Walt Disney. If you missed your chance to contribute, I encourage you to submit your responses below in the comments area. Or, give the article a read, either by reading TLT online (look to the September 2013 issue), or by going directly to the article (PDF).

The book was very brief (about 120 pages) and less about Tesla (than expected) and more about the nature of genius and creativity. The book makes 4 arguments:

1. That you have to be "'smart enough' to fulfill the intellectual requirements for success" but after that, IQ ceases to make a distinguishable difference. Akin to being "tall enough" for the NBA. However, IQ alone doesn't explain success. 
2. Another common factor that researchers recognize in all great performers: "they practiced so hard and intensely that it hurt," with the author referring to the "10,000 hour rule." Dr. K Anders Ericsson coined the phrase, and regardless if you have an innate talent, he argues that you need that amount of hours of "focused, intentional practice." 
3. Not only that, you need to have dedication - because 10,000 hours is a lot of work. 
4. Finally, there's the issue of opportunities. If you haven't read it, Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell is also a good, solid read, and if you like hockey (among other things), provides some insight into the sport and its stars. Basically, being closer to the cut-off age to play hockey meant you got an entire year to get better and outshine other, younger (and smaller) players. Hence, you were given more opportunities, creating an "accumulative advantage" compared to other kids with later birthdays.

Utilizing these concepts, the author presents the idea of the "genius code," penned by psychologist Dr. Alfred Barrios. This particular book addresses one component of the code: imagination. And below are some quotes I found particularly interesting along this vein:

• "When you start viewing creativity as a process of combination, and imagination as the ability to connect, stretch, and merge things in new ways, creative brilliance becomes  less mystifying. A creative genius is just better at connecting the dots than others are."
• "There's a catch to 'combinatorial creativity,' though. Before you can connect the dots, you need to have dots to connect...The more varied your knowledge and experiences are, the more likely you are to be able to create new associations and fresh ideas."
• "It takes curiosity to find your call to adventure, it takes courage to venture into the unknown, and it takes imagination to create your path." And, like Tesla, you must create something "exactly as you envision it, no matter how much work it takes, or how many people try to stop you."

If you didn't get a chance to respond to the survey, which genius would you include on the list and what would you ask them? And, if you've read the book, what are your thoughts? Include them in the comments below!