Over the years the Fluid Systems team have participated in a wide range of research, from confidential single-client projects to European collaborative programmes and commercial research for consortia.

At present, we are seeking partners for a number of possible projects under EU FP7 in the area of tribology.

Current projects include:

MODES
Explosive decompression of seals and other elastomeric components can bring a facility to a halt, costing damage far beyond the value of the cpmponent. This project seeks to understand the mechanisms involved and to predict the likelihood of failure, enabling better choice of materials to reduce failures, and planned maintenance rather than costly shut-downs.

See our case studies of work on Fluid Systems.

For more information, please contact us.

KRISTAL
In addition to their traditional roles as seals and diaphragms, components made of rubber-like materials are increasingly replacing other traditional components due to their ease of manufacture, lightness and cost.

However, lubrication, wear and friction are often problematic, because the effect of the material-fluid interaction (tribology) is poorly understood. Surface coatings have been used, such as graphite, PE layers, or water-based lacquers, but some suffer from low wear resistance and bad adhesion. Now nano-technology-engineered products are being added to the available range.

Industry's current approach - of exhaustive trial and error with costly experimental work - results in incremental development of costly products with long time-to-market. Tribology needs to be integrated into the design process, but there is insufficient understanding and modelling available. The Kristal project will address the urgent need for research.

Download more information about the Kristal research project