About the project
How can electric vehicle gears run faster and more efficiently without damaging their surfaces?This project aims to develop physics-based models connecting lubricant films, surface roughness and frictional heating to predict efficiency and scuffing. Combining computational modelling with tribological experiments, it will help establish the scientific foundations for efficient, durable electrified vehicle transmissions.
High-speed electric vehicle transmissions must deliver high efficiency while resisting surface damage. Lower-viscosity lubricants can reduce power losses but may compromise surface separation. Scuffing, a severe form of adhesive surface damage, can occur when lubrication and surface protection become inadequate. Predicting this failure requires understanding how lubricant film formation, asperity contact and frictional heating interact throughout gear engagement.
This project will develop a deterministic thermal mixed-lubrication framework to predict friction, temperature and scuffing risk in high-speed gears. The model will couple elastohydrodynamic lubrication (EHL), measured surface topography, asperity contact mechanics and heat transfer. It will resolve changing loads, entrainment velocities and sliding conditions along the tooth contact, accounting for lubricant rheology and temperature-dependent properties.
Controlled rolling–sliding experiments will characterise lubricant friction under selected operating conditions and support model validation. The research will distinguish heat generated through lubricant shear from that arising at asperity contacts, and investigate how their interaction influences local temperatures and damage initiation. Scuffing criteria will be critically assessed against experimental evidence, with model assumptions and predictive uncertainty explicitly evaluated.
Expected outcomes include validated predictions of frictional power loss and thermal behaviour, together with a physically informed assessment of scuffing risk. These tools could support lubricant selection, surface-finishing strategies and transmission design.
The project builds on the supervisor’s academic tribology research and electric-drive transmission development experience. You'll develop expertise in computational tribology, numerical methods, experimental testing and surface characterisation, addressing a research challenge with direct industrial relevance.
The School of Engineering is committed to promoting equality, diversity inclusivity as demonstrated by our Athena SWAN award. We welcome all applicants regardless of their gender, ethnicity, disability, sexual orientation or age, and will give full consideration to applicants seeking flexible working patterns and those who have taken a career break. The University has a generous maternity policy, onsite childcare facilities, and offers a range of benefits to help ensure employees’ well-being and work-life balance. The University of Southampton is committed to sustainability and has been awarded the Platinum EcoAward.
