Project description
New lubrication models for more efficient, longer-lasting machines
Friction and lubrication are critical for ensuring machine efficiency and durability, yet current models are limited in their ability to predict performance when lubricant films are extremely thin. The ERC-funded LubeTwin project will introduce a digital twin designed to model all lubrication regimes from dry sliding to hydrodynamic lubrication. Using advanced molecular dynamics simulations and machine learning, LubeTwin will connect nanoscale molecular behaviour to macroscopic friction in technical components. The proposed approach will improve understanding of lubrication under high loads and help predict optimal conditions for ultra-low friction and minimal wear.
Objective
A non-empirical continuum-physics-based digital twin for boundary and mixed lubricated tribosystems (the LubeTwin) would revolutionize the design and operation of sliding contacts in machines. Today, reliable continuum models of thermo-elasto-hydrodynamic lubrication (TEHL) are routinely used for component design. However, these standard TEHL models are considered to be invalid when the sliding surfaces are not separated by a thick enough lubricant film. My preliminary work suggests that TEHL can then still be applied provided constitutive equations (CEs) are employed that consider finite-size effects such as slip and lubricant layering at walls. Based on my hypothesis that the Reynolds lubrication equation works down to sub-monolayer lubricant films, the construction of a LubeTwin is proposed that quantitatively describes all microscale lubrication regimes in engineering sliding contacts – from dry sliding to hydrodynamic lubrication. This is achieved by a massive effort to produce a variety of atomistic benchmark data by molecular dynamics (MD) with non-reactive force fields for the lubricant rheology and with machine learning potentials for the lubricant-surface tribochemistry. Coarse-grained extreme-scale MD of lubricated µm-sized rough surfaces and high-throughput all-atom MD for nm-sized parallel channels will allow for an effective validation and training of novel physics-based CEs for an extended TEHL model. This makes the proposed LubeTwin a predictive tool linking nanoscale molecular structure of constituents to the friction of components at the macroscale. The final goal is to quantitatively describe lubrication in tribological experiments under high loads and to predict optimal conditions for super-low friction and wear in energy-efficient and sustainable machines. Embedded in a large interdisciplinary environment of multiscale modelers and experimentalists, a team of nine scientists will find ideal conditions to realize the vision of LubeTwin.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC Grants
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2024-ADG
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
80686 MUNCHEN
Germany
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.