Papers relating to Bowden's interest in tribology, "the science of interacting surfaces in relative motion", which included the study of the effects of friction and lubrication.
Tribology had important applications in the mechanical and chemical engineering industries, and Bowden was interested in both its economic and academic potential. He actively championed the subject when Minister of State, establishing a government working party to investigate the issue in 1965. In 1966 a successor Committee was set up to advise the Ministry of Technology on tribology, chaired by Peter Jost (of M. K. S. Paul Products Group). The material in the file includes correspondence between Jost and Bowden about the Committee's work, as well as with UMIST colleagues. The file includes copies of reports of the Committee on Tribology, 1967/8 and 1966-1972, both signed and dedicated by Peter Jost.