Tribology
Tribology covers the design of systems where two or more surfaces move against each other, from engine bearings to magnetic recording heads. MIT's course, part of OpenCourseWare, works through geometric, chemical, and physical characterization of surfaces, then moves into friction and wear mechanisms across metals, polymers, and ceramics, including abrasive wear, delamination theory, tool wear, and erosive wear. It also covers boundary and solid-film lubrication, rolling contacts, and the link between nano-scale and macro-scale tribology. Case studies ground the theory in real problems, including wear in electrical contacts and diagnosis of friction failures. Materials come from MIT's mechanical engineering curriculum and include lecture notes and assignments, free to access under an open license, with no certificate offered. Aimed at advanced students already comfortable with mechanical engineering fundamentals.