Objective
Bearings are indispensable components across modern engineering technology, from transport and energy to manufacturing and medical devices. Their reliability is fundamentally limited by premature failure due to friction, wear, and tribo-oxidation. Existing approaches to extend bearing lifetime - incremental alloy modifications, protective coatings, or self-lubricating composites - offer only partial improvements. They do not address the root cause: the absence of metallic alloys with microstructures that are intrinsically resistant to friction and wear.
This PoC project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of a new class of copper-based alloys for high-load bearings, developed through microstructure-by-design principles rather than empirical trial-and-error. Building directly on the ERC Consolidator Grant TriboKey, which revealed how deformation twinning, dislocation plasticity, tribo-oxidation regimes, and surface topography control friction and wear, the project will translate these insights into actionable design rules. By tailoring grain-scale architectures, controlling oxide formation regimes, and optimizing surface waviness–lubrication interactions, we will fabricate alloys with durability embedded at the material level.
The project pursues four objectives: (i) fabricate demonstrator alloys via two processing routes, (ii) validate their tribological performance in lab tests under application-relevant conditions, (iii) clarify the intellectual property and knowledge transfer strategy, and (iv) develop a roadmap for exploitation with industrial partners. Activities will be supported by advanced characterization and close collaboration with potential end users.
By embedding wear resistance, low friction, and robustness directly into the alloy microstructure, this project introduces a paradigm shift in bearing design. Beyond bearings in energy systems, the innovation has cross-sectoral potential in aerospace, automotive, marine, and heavy machinery applications.
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.
- engineering and technology materials engineering composites
- natural sciences physical sciences astronomy planetary sciences planetary geology
- engineering and technology materials engineering coating and films
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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-POC - HORIZON ERC Proof of Concept 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-2025-POC
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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.
76131 Karlsruhe
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.