Dr Kate Tomlinson
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Lecturer in Tribology
+44 114 222 7888
Full contact details
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Sir Frederick Mappin Building
Mappin Street
Sheffield
S1 3JD
- Profile
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Dr Kate Tomlinson is a Lecturer in Tribology in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. She is a member of the Leonardo Centre for Tribology and the Rail Innovation and Technology Centre at the University of Sheffield.
Kate became a lecturer in the department in 2023, prior to that she was a Senior Lecturer in Railway Engineering Management at Sheffield Hallam University. She graduated from the University of Derby with a BSc in Mathematics (1st class) in 2017, before moving to the University of Sheffield to obtain her PhD in Mechanical Engineering.
Kate’s PhD was sponsored by Network Rail and concerned the life extension of railway track components through additive manufacturing. She has since worked as a Research Associate in broader areas of Tribology, focusing on friction and biotribology.
- Research interests
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Kate’s research crosses many of the aspects of tribology (friction, wear, and lubrication) and is predominantly focused on the railway sector. Her work aims to improve the environmental impact of rail travel through the understanding of rail-wheel contact, the characterisation of new materials and the development of new maintenance techniques. One of her research themes is the study of wear particles generated through rail-wheel contact and the impact this has on air quality in underground railways. Through her experience in biotribology she can further consider the frictional effects that issues like particulate matter have on the human body.
- Publications
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Journal articles
- Evaluation of laser cladding as an in-situ repair method on rail steel. Tribology International.
- Measuring material plastic response to cyclic loading in modern rail steels from a minimal number of twin-disc tests. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part F: Journal of Rail and Rapid Transit, 235(10), 1203-1213. View this article in WRRO
- On the role of friction modifier additives in the oil control ring & piston liner contact. ASME Journal of Tribology.
- Friction between human skin and incontinence pads in the presence of barrier protection products. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part H: Journal of Engineering in Medicine, 095441192311784-095441192311784.
Conference proceedings papers
- SMALL-SCALE TESTING OF RAIL LASER CLADDING LONGEVITY, PARAMETER TOLERANCE AND IN-SITU REPAIRS IN PREPARATION FOR FIELD IMPLEMENTATION. CM 2022 - 12th International Conference on Contact Mechanics and Wear of Rail/Wheel Systems, Conference Proceedings (pp 364-374)
- Evaluation of laser cladding as an in-situ repair method on rail steel. Tribology International.
- Teaching activities
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Module leader for MEC446 Fundamentals and Applications of Tribology which is offered to fourth year MEng and MSc students.