Hyderabad, Dec 2: A multi-disciplinary approach is needed to tackle the problem posed by metallic corrosion, which, according to some estimates, results in a loss of over Rs 65 billion annually to the Indian industry, Tisco managing director JJ Irani said here on Wednesday.Tribology, the generic given to the study of corrosion, has become a new area of research, he said addressing a conference on the subject organised by the BHEL R&D centre here.
``The difference between successful and not-so-successful plant operations hinges to a great extent on the success of tribology,'' Irani said adding 25 per cent to 50 per cent of the losses could be avoided by the systematic application of tribological practices. The importance of tribilogical studies in present day technologies stems from the fact that over 8,000 papers are published every year in this field.
Tribology, in effect, attempts to investigate the irreversible process of mechanics in detail along with the complex effects of energy and material dissipation.
He also highlighted the success of adopting tribilogical practices in Tisco by reducing the maintenance cost by 20 per cent and overall improvement in operations to become the lowest cost steel producer in the world.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.