Windshield wiper effect

An apparatus for studying this effect in more detail was described by Roberts and Tabor in 1971, as shown in Fig. 6.5. They had been particularly interested in the effect of lubricant films under car tires or beneath windshield wipers. Previously, Blok had tried to study these thick contaminant layers by placing a smooth plastic sheet on the tire rubber surface. But Roberts showed that this was unnecessary. If the rubber was molded against an optical glass surface, then the rubber itself acted as a mirror and enabled Newton s rings to be... 

Man-made contaminants come primarily from the combustion of hydrocarbons and the aforementioned impurities in the hydrocarbons that cause fuel-side contaminants. The combustion of hydrocarbons, such as coal in power plants or gasoline in cars, produces SO, and NO, emissions in the atmosphere. SO, and NO, are two important airborne contaminants that are the subject of many studies (Gould et al., 2009 Nagahara et al, 2008). Other man-made contaminants include road de-icers, such as MgCl2, which can have similar effects as sea salt, and the methanol in windshield wiper fluid. Man-made battlefield contaminants can lead to permanent performance losses in PEMFCs (Moore et al., 2000). Their sources include the combustion products of heavy fuels, explosive products, and chemical agents. 

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