Fundamentals 1 – Tribology & Lubrication Regimes

Fundamentals 1 – Tribology & Lubrication Regimes introduces the essential principles of tribology—the study of friction, wear, and lubrication—and how they apply to machinery across all industries. This course lays the groundwork for understanding how lubricants function, how they reduce surface contact, and the different regimes in which they operate.

You’ll explore the primary lubrication regimes—hydrodynamic, elastohydrodynamic, mixed, and boundary—and understand what conditions lead to transitions between them. The course also discusses the fundamental roles of lubricants, the types available (oils, greases, solids), and the systems used to classify them by performance and application.

Whether you’re a maintenance professional, engineer, or just starting out in lubrication, this course gives you the foundational knowledge to evaluate lubrication needs, recognise failure modes, and support reliability-focused decision-making.

By completing this course, you will be able to:

• Define tribology and explain its relevance to machinery health
• Describe the key functions of lubricants and how they reduce wear and friction
• Differentiate between hydrodynamic, EHL, mixed, and boundary lubrication regimes
• Identify common lubricant types and their application areas
• Understand major lubricant classification systems used in industry