Summary
Yap is a final-year PhD candidate. He joined the Tribology Group at Imperial College London in 2020. His main research explores the formation of polymer transfer films and their influence on the self-lubrication and wear of polymer-metal sliding interfaces utilising advanced in-situ tribometry techniques. These include spatiotemporal mapping, high-bandwidth microscopy, digital holographic microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. His work is supervised by Dr Marc Masen and Dr Janet Wong and supported by collaborators across Asia, Europe, and the USA.
Yap has a wide interest in tribology. Apart from in-situ tribometry and polymer tribology, he is a big fan of mechanical transmission technology and biotribology. He co-invented and patented a gearless speed reducer that features zero backlash and compactness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he was involved in formulating lubricants to alleviate PPE-induced skin injuries among frontline healthcare workers.
Yap has received multiple scholarships and awards in recognition of his achievements. These include the IMechE Tribology Bronze Medal, IOP Innovation in Tribology Award, STLE Elmer E. Klaus Fellowship, Imperial College’s Departmental Scholarship for Master’s and PhD Studies, the Institution of Engineers Malaysia’s Best Engineering Undergraduate Thesis Award, multiple poster awards, travel grants, and more.
Yap completed his MSc in Advanced Mechanical Engineering (with Distinction) at Imperial College London in 2019. He worked as a researcher in the tribology group at the University of Technology Malaysia in 2018. He obtained his BEng in Mechanical Precision Engineering (First Class Honours) from the University of Technology Malaysia in 2017. He interned at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki as an R&D engineer during his undergraduate studies in 2016.
Publications
Journals
Yap KK, Fukuda K, Vail JR, et al., 2022, Spatiotemporal mapping for in-situ and real-time tribological analysis in polymer-metal contacts, Tribology International, Vol:171, ISSN:0301-679X, Pages:1-16
Zhou X, Masen MA, Li YY, et al., 2022, Influence of different fluid environments on tactile perception and finger friction., Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Vol:19, ISSN:1742-5662, Pages:20210783-20210783
Yap KK, Murali M, Tan Z, et al., 2021, Wax-oil lubricants to reduce the shear between skin and PPE, Scientific Reports, Vol:11, ISSN:2045-2322, Pages:1-11
Masen MA, Chung A, Dawczyk JU, et al., 2020, Evaluating lubricant performance to reduce COVID-19 PPE-related skin injury, Plos One, Vol:15, ISSN:1932-6203, Pages:e0239363-e0239363