The research in the Surface Technology and Tribology (STT) group focuses around surfaces and interfaces in an engineering context as well as degradation mechanisms taking place at these surfaces and interfaces. Surfaces and interfaces are typically complex, and in many cases critical in terms of lifetime and degradation. A solid understanding, as well as accurate and validated models of degradation phenomena at these surfaces and interfaces is important to develop efficient maintenance strategies. 

Moving interfaces are very prominent in (mechanical) engineering. Phenomena taking place at these interfaces belong to the field of tribology. Typical tribological phenomena are friction and the different wear mechanisms. In the case a lubricant is present, lubrication can be used to separate surfaces and avoid or reduce contact. The development of experimentally validated models of tribological phenomena at interfaces is one of the focus areas. Fundamental to these phenomena is the contact between surfaces, which is the field of contact mechanics.

The second main type of interfaces are stationary interfaces, as are present in, for example, hybrid materials like metal - polymer combinations. In this context,  bonding and adhesion are important and subject of research. Surfaces can be engineered to optimize bonding and hybrid materials can developed based on knowledge about the interfaces present in these materials.

Also, transitions from a stationary situation to a sliding situation are common in mechanical contacts. Examples are highly accurate positioning mechanisms, as well as on a totally different length scale, earthquakes. Transitions from stick to slip and vice versa are also subject of study in the research group, both in positioning mechanisms as well as in faults in the subsurface of the earth.

Apart from chairing the Surface Technology and Tribology group, I am also the Programme Leader of the EngD Maintenance programme and the director of the SKF University Technical Center (UTC) for grease lubrication.

Expertise

  • Material Science

    • Friction
    • Surface
    • Coating
    • Temperature
  • Engineering

    • Models
    • Surfaces
    • Sheet Metal
  • Physics

    • Model

Organisations

Publications

2025

Insights in the interaction between roughness reduction and fatigue crack growth in rolling contacts (2025)Engineering failure analysis, 174. Article 109493. Gargourimotlagh, M., Matthews, D. T. A., Schneider, S. & de Rooij, M. B.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engfailanal.2025.109493The impact of surface cracks and surface roughness in the performance of hard chromium coatings in cold rolling applications (2025)Applied Surface Science Advances, 27. Article 100738. Ranjbar-Nouri, Z., Matthews, D., Bolt, H. & de Rooij, M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsadv.2025.100738Experimental analysis of contact forces between strands in three-strand ropes with varying twist parameters and filament counts (2025)Textile research journal (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Allan, O., Mishra, T. & de Rooij, M.https://doi.org/10.1177/00405175251333381Micro-CT analysis of geometrical distribution of filaments in double-twisted three-strand ropes: Comparison with analytical model (2025)Journal of Industrial Textiles, 55. Allan, O., Mishra, T., Meijer, R. J. & de Rooij, M.https://doi.org/10.1177/15280837251333116An investigation into the evolution of surface topography and contact characteristics of rolling elements under repeated rolling contact (2025)Tribology international, 208. Article 110644 (E-pub ahead of print/First online). Gargourimotlagh, M., Matthews, D. T. A. & de Rooij, M. B.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.triboint.2025.110644Pore formation and pore inter-connectivity in plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings on aluminium alloy (2025)Surface and coatings technology, 496. Article 131597. Adelinia, A., Yerokhin, A., Matthews, D. T. A., de Rooij, M. B. & Zanjani, J. S. M.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surfcoat.2024.131597Modelling Friction in Cold Rolling (2025)[Thesis › PhD Thesis - Research external, graduation UT]. Ipskamp Printing (In preparation). Jacobs, L. J. M.

2024

When Grease Fails (2024)[Contribution to conference › Poster] M2i conference 2024. Hogenberk, F., van den Ende, D., de Rooij, M. B. & Lugt, P. M.Effect of normal load and bulk strain on real area of contact in aluminum sheet forming (2024)[Contribution to conference › Poster] 27th Engineering Mechanics Symposium, EM 2024. Jalalimoghadas, F., de Rooij, M. B., van den Boogaard, T. & Hazrati, J.Effect of Normal Load and Bulk Strain on Real Area of Contact in Aluminum Sheet Forming (2024)In Book of Abstracts from the 10th International Conference on Tribology in Manufacturing (pp. 22-22). Scientific.net. Jalalimoghadas, F., de Rooij, M., van den Boogaard, T. & Hazrati, J.

Research profiles

Affiliated study programs

Courses academic year 2025/2026

Courses in the current academic year are added at the moment they are finalised in the Osiris system. Therefore it is possible that the list is not yet complete for the whole academic year.

Courses academic year 2024/2025

Courses academic year 2023/2024

Address

University of Twente

Horst Complex (building no. 20), room N106
De Horst 2
7522 LW Enschede
Netherlands

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