Intelligent Open Test Bed for Materials Tribological Characterisation Services

Project Information

i-TRIBOMAT

Grant agreement ID: 814494

DOI

10.3030/814494

Project closed

EC signature date 12 December 2018

Start date 1 January 2019

End date 31 March 2023

Funded under

• INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP - Leadership in enabling and industrial technologies - Advanced materials

Total cost

€ 7 821 037,00

EU contribution

€ 7 113 313,88

Coordinated by

AC2T RESEARCH GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - i-TRIBOMAT (Intelligent Open Test Bed for Materials Tribological Characterisation Services)

Reporting period: 2022-01-01 to 2023-03-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

When moving parts are in contact, involved materials contributing to friction and wear are determining the tribological performance of engineering components and machines. When developing of novel products for industrial use, up to date no efficient approach for tribological materials characterization is existing. The aim of i-TRIBOMAT is to fill this gap by establishing the world’s first open test bed dedicated to this purpose for validating and up-scaling conventional and new materials for mechanical components. i- TRIBOMAT is the user-driven open test bed enabling versatile characterization to support innovation in the European manufacturing industries by reducing material up-scaling costs and time to market, down to one fifth. To facilitate the intelligent tribological materials characterisation i-TRIBOMAT integrates the most important tribological testing facilities at EU level with user-driven IT tools to validate new materials for components.

Introduction of the new innovative material solutions into tribological applications will substantially reduce friction and protect materials from wear, directly influencing environmental effects and CO2 emission. Globally, total energy consumption could be lowered as well as CO2 emission reduced, by using new technologies. Energy efficiency is related not only to energy saving and reduced emissions, but can drive a number of “multiple benefits”, such as macroeconomic development, public budget increase, enhanced health and wellbeing, industrial productivity and energy delivery improvements. i-TRIBOMAT is accelerating the uptake of new and increasingly sustainable tribological solutions such as environmentally acceptable lubricants, bio-no-tox additives, renewable lubes, etc.

i-TRIBOMAT will provide the world’s first Open Innovation Test Bed dedicated to validating and up-scaling new materials. Intelligent tribological materials characterisation will be brought to market, fostering industrial innovation in the European manufacturing industry. The ultimate goal of i-TRIBOMAT is to reduce costs and time-to-market, when up-scaling materials.
This is being realized through several objectives that we have set as a priority:
-Establish the shared infrastructure for tribological materials characterisation and develop protocols providing new mechanistic information on materials tribological performance to support industrial materials up-scaling
-Bridge the gap between laboratory-scale tribological tests and field operation performance by specific up-scaling tools for faster deliver of new industrial material solutions
-Data sharing and harmonisation, and explore data analytics to foster materials up-scaling
-Validate i-TRIBOMAT services for highly relevant European industrial sectors – transport, energy and manufacturing
-Establish a sustainable European Single Entry Point (SEP) that acts as the collaboration, communication and user interface reducing time-to-market of materials
-Promote i-TRIBOMAT tribological services through Translators Network and collaborate with the European ecosystem

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

During the first reporting period (M1-18), all work packages have been operative. From the beginning of the project, administrative and technical coordination is well established for seamless project implementation, with the technical tools, standardised procedures and communication channels organised. Different templates - for reporting, meeting minutes, presentations, etc. were designed. Communication and dissemination activities were conducted from a very beginning of the project, with i-TRIBOMAT having a several special sessions on relevant conferences and publishing its work, with i-TRIBOMAT website fully operational.
We have defined a first two versions of service catalogue for the i-TRIBOMAT Test Bed, defining services for customers to be provided by i-TRIBOMAT. Accordingly, the i-TRIBOMAT service catalogue for potential customer and optimum services required.
We have compiled the infrastructure for tribological material characterisation and tribo-analytics - different equipment types, including 56 relevant tribometers. The compiled information was used to provide an initial characterization of the equipment involved in tribological tests, which was included with the collected equipment data. It defined the initial status of the shared infrastructure and provided an initial characterization of the different lab equipment and their capabilities and limitations.
i-TRIBOMAT database and high level architecture was designed and first release of the database platform was established. First simulation models for use case of engines, gear bearing and seals wee developed and calibrated to simulation efficiency and life-time of components.
External Advisory Board was set up and outreach to the ecosystem was conducted successfully through a different workshops, events and international conferences.
The final aim of i-TRIBOMAT is to establish a sustainable business and serve as the European Single Entry Point for intelligent tribological characterization to predict the durability of conventional and novel materials for a wide range of industrial applications. For this, a draft business plan was created and governance model developed.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The ultimate goal of i-TRIBOMAT is to reduce costs and time-to-market, when developing new products for tribological applications using new or alternative material. Within the project duration, we expect to establish a Singel Entry Point (new legal entity), shared infrastructure (tribometers and other equipment), IT-platform and catalogue of materials characterisation services, collaboration interface and novel standards & procedures, novel material database and validated services, with established European Translators Network and strong link to European Advanced Materials Ecosystem.
All these expected results will lead to minimising costs for product design, accelerated development cycles, reduces time-to-market ~20%, enhanced materials lifetime and improved components efficiency.
Potential impact and influence i-TRIBOMAT will bring are numerous - digitalisation of the European industry, supporting industrial innovation in European manufacturing industry, CO2 and energy-loss reduction across all sectors by optimising friction and wear, and many more.

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