PhD candidate position - integrated within the European Doctoral Network (DN) funded under the HORIZON EU project "PATRON" (Prognostics and heAlth management of nexT GeneRatiOn drivetraiNs).

to work on:

»Boundary layer interface design for reduced full-film friction & wear in mechanical components«

The focus of the PhD research will be to develop innovative mechanisms to reduce friction in full-film lubricated contacts. One approach is to employ various surface modification technologies, from nano to macro-scale, which can reduce full-film friction through a solid-liquid interface mechanisms and can gain friction reduction. Recent studies indicate several possibilities to modify the contact interface, which however, need to be explored. The study should explore the film formation, shear, thickness, load distribution, and their effects on friction and wear, which is currently not known. The work will be experimental and/or theoretical in a group with strong background in the field and facilities, namely the Laboratory for Tribology and Interface nanotechnology (TINT) at Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), mentored by prof. Mitjan Kalin.