Lubrication relies heavily on the petro-chemical industry to supply base oils for most applications. This is a risk to the industry in many aspects. As global dependency on crude oil decreases new lubrication stocks need identifying (Boyde, 2002). There are many options for this. A largely untapped potential is biological based or bio-mimetic lubricants based on plant, animal, algal and fungal sources. The complex chemical structures found in many natural compounds have the potential to replace the hydrocarbons in most lubricants.
Many traditional lubricants were originally based on animal fats and plant oils suspended in water (Harris, 1974). This lubricating behaviour can also be found in nature: water droplets on a leaf, joints in a vertebrate (Li, Guo and Wong, 2016), and animal defence mechanisms are a few examples of this. This can also be found at the interface of engineering and nature – in the autumn there are many issues with rail transport related to leaves falling on rail, this is caused by leaves forming a lubricating layer on the rail reducing wheel traction (Cann, 2006; Zhu, Olofsson and Nilsson, 2014).
The PhD will be based in the state-of-the-art Tribology Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Birmingham providing access to a wide array of analytical equipment to support the investigation.
This project aims to develop the next generation of industrial lubricants. To achieve this the successful candidate will need to:
• identify potential sources of lubricants aligning the source with the region in which it will be used,
• evaluate these potential sources experimentally,
• characterise the sources through analytical methods and,
• investigate the impact of the lubricants on the lubricating surfaces
The project is based in the Tribology Group within the School of Engineering, University of Birmingham and has access to a wide range of analytical and experimental equipment to support the aims.
For informal enquiries please contact Dr. Iestyn Stead - [Email Address Removed]