Overview
In internal combustion engines, durability and friction control is currently delivered from a complex package of lubricant additives in a fully formulated engine oil. Through tribochemical interaction with the surface, these oil additives produce nano-structured composite, self-healing and smart tribofilms at the surface. The 2020 INTERFACE project involved the design of the complete system: functional Diamond-Like Carbon ("DLC") coating and future generation lubricant, to enable Europe's stretching targets in fuel economy and durability to be met.
There has been much emphasis on designing new coatings technology in research, such that the degree of complexity of surface systems has increased dramatically over the last decade. In boundary lubricated contacts, it is the interfacial nano-structured film (this results from tribochemical interactions between the surface and the lubricant additives) which dictates the system performance. But no attempts have been made to incorporate design strategies into optimizing this process. The objective of 2020 INTERFACE was to tackle this through an interdisciplinary integrated experimental and theoretical approach.
The benefits of this approach were accrued from substantially improved fuel economy (protection of natural resources), reduced emissions (protection of the environment) and improved durability (lower waste and maintenance). As the number of vehicles worldwide continues to increase without showing signs of reaching a plateau, and the internal combustion engine will remain the major power train for the foreseeable future, the impact of this project would be large and long-lasting.
2020 INTERFACE brought together a consortium of Universities, research institutes and leading multinational companies from 8 EU countries, to deliver fast radical innovation in nano-science through to a full set of novel lubrication technology platforms, for commercial applications in diesel and gasoline power trains.
Funding
Results
Much extended knowledge of optimised carbon (DLC) coatings for powertrain application, optimum lubricant formulation and tribochemistry.
- The project participants extended the knowledge of tribochemistry considerably and this was being disseminated through scientific publications. The link between the laboratory tests in tribometers and the engine and component level tests was demonstrated. The mechanisms of tribochemical reactions at DLC surfaces were clarified for some conventional and next generation additives.
- Fuel economy and durability improvements in real engines; Impact on engine fuel economy and durability will ultimately impact on vehicle emissions.
- Modelling framework; Chemical and mesoscopic modelling work together are able to determine the best sp3/sp2 ratio for DLC coatings and what the desired mechanical properties are for DLC coating in order to have an optimised overall performance in engine and bearing applications. These two parts of the modelling work will help further industrial interface design. The results from the modelling part of the study, although extremely idealistic, were showing a good correlation with laboratory test results.
Strategy targets
Innovating for the future: technology and behaviour:
- Promoting more sustainable development
- A European Transport Research and Innovation Policy