Research
Research groups
Research interests
- Professor Robert Wood has research interests that span the application of lubrication, wear and friction science to current and next generation critical machine components such as bearings, transmissions, turbines, pumps, renewable energy systems and electrification of transportation. His research projects look at detecting wear, corrosion, friction and lubrication using these measurements to improve condition monitoring of machines including EVs and aeroengine fan blades and to optimise surface engineering for extended service life, energy efficiency and to drive tribology based digital twins and machine learning development.
Current research
His projects are aimed to create knowledge of future lubricants/contact surface interactions, system degradation and contamination and their mitigation for seawater propulsion/tidal turbine, transmission systems, leading edges of aeroengine fan blades and wind turbine blades, electric vehicles and high power density engines. They use advanced and multimodal sensor technology, tribometer test facilities, advanced materials and coatings, data fusion and machine learning to detect degradation mechanisms, outliers and early wear.
Green Tribology
He heads a major research effort into Green Tribology where the management and reduction of wear and friction are obtained from solutions that are more environmentally friendly and relate to sustainable systems such as wind and tidal energy capture. Solutions being explored include surfaces inspired by nature, water based lubricants, sensing of wear for improved control of machines, and texturing surfaces for low drag/friction.
Marine Tribology
Marine-based research includes a tidal turbine project looking at protecting blades from solid and cavitation erosion combined with corrosion, cavitation erosion-corrosion of ships propulsion systems and anti-fouling of immersed surfaces.
Tribological Coatings
Impact and rain erosion resistant coatings for wind turbine blade protection and military applications, wind turbine transmission tribology; suspension spraying of thick thermally sprayed coatings as well as nano-composite electrolytic coatings for replacing cadmium and chromium surfaces.