GreenTRIBOS - EJD ITN doctorate programme (Horizon 2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions)
Website
www.greentribos.euProject duration
2019 - 2023
Project Category
international
Contact Information
Partners
- University of Leeds (Great Britain)
- Luleå University of Technology (Sweden)
- University of Coimbra (Portugal)
The Laboratory for Tribology and Surface Nanotechnology (TINT) at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, in cooperation with partners from the University of Leeds (United Kingdom), the University of Coimbra (Portugal) and the Technical University of Lulea (Sweden), succeeded in obtaining funding—with an overall score of 96.6%—for the GreenTRIBOS European Joint Doctoral International Training Network project with a total value of €3.2 million. The project involves 26 partners, where in addition to institutes, universities, NGOs and governmental organizations, there are also globally recognized, multinational companies, such as TOTAL, Volvo, SKF, Vattenfall, Oerlikon, Sandvik, and Cummins. Prof. dr. Mitjan Kalin will coordinate the project, with the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering consolidating its important role in the European research space for green and sustainably oriented surface technologies. It also builds on the department’s coordination of the Joint European Master's degree programme TRIBOS, which has been running successfully since 2013, and the European project GreenCOAT, part of the ERA-Net scheme.
The world is subject to global warming and weather conditions are becoming increasingly unstable and extreme. And whether we like it or not, the overwhelming scientific consensus is that the use of fossil fuels is a key component in climate change. Friction, which consumes as much as 30% of all the energy produced, wear and the short lifespan of material goods are the main factors in energy consumption. Therefore, reducing friction and wear with the use of green lubrication is the most direct way to reduce energy consumption and pollution, contributing to a better environment for everyone.
The GreenTRIBOS project accepts this challenge. As part of the project, 12 doctoral students will be conducting research in scientifically oriented work packages with the aim of developing integrative green concepts of contacts and functional surface mechanisms with a lifecycle analysis. They will also evaluate the effectiveness of these tribological solutions in reducing energy consumption, the depletion of material resources and emissions. In a joint work package, the researchers will combine the results into a comprehensive set of general concepts of green tribology and the rules for constructing mechanical systems—which will be freely available to everyone—with a measurable effect over the entire lifecycle of the system. All 12 doctoral students will use complementary research techniques, analytical tools, models and approaches with the support of their academic mentors, research groups and non-academic mentors. Through education in scientific, technical and soft skills, the PhD students will be educated to be a new generation of scientists and engineers with high applicative potential, who will encourage the changes needed for sustainable development that will serve the engineering needs of Europe in the 21st century. More at:https://www.greentribos.eu/