Creation of a National Innovation Playground to Widen the Operational Envelope for Tribological PVD Coatings

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A team with unique and complementary experience has been formed to create an Innovation Playground for application-driven pioneering research in PVD coatings for tribological applications. Four leading centres in three institutions will come together to exploit their real and significant synergies. This proposal is for capital equipment which, together with our extensive existing facilities, will underpin our ambitions and will enable the UK to compete with any of the other international centres. The investment provides unique capability for this consortium which will reach out to other academic groups and industrial users. The proposed research is based around three core thematic areas; defined because of our combined strengths in these and also the tribological challenges that exist. The Innovation Playground will secure specific deliverables for these three strategically important high priority application sectors:1. Artificial Human Joint Replacements - for health & well being -> Lengthening life, improving mobility and independent living and reducing ion release for younger and more active patients. To reduce the burden on the NHS. 2. Automotive OEM Engine Parts - for reduced energy consumption - The immediate focus is primarily on fuel economy and improved surface/lubricant interactions to realize lower interfacial friction and so minimize energy losses, delivering performance improvements and a reduced carbon footprint.3. New age coated cutting tools for Manufacturing Ti, Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) and metal-matrix composite aerospace components - for materials conservation and manufacturing efficiency gains by lowering energy consumption in manufacturing > The main emphasis will be increasing cutting tool durability and reliability under very high operating temperatures (>1000C), suppressing adverse chemical degradation and reducing dependence on Cl-containing fluids during machining operations under dry or minimum lubrication conditions (MLC machining). There is industry pressure to increase the performance of the tool/lubricant system and advanced PVD coating technology can address this need.