PhD Scholarship: Low maintenance reliable main bearings for large wind turbines

This PhD scholarship is offered by the EPSRC CDT in Offshore Wind Energy Sustainability and Resilience, a partnership between the Universities of Durham, Hull, Loughborough and Sheffield. The project is sponsored by industry partner, the Offshore Renewable Energy (ORE) Catapult. The successful applicant will undertake six-month of training with the rest of the CDT cohort at the University of Hull before continuing their PhD research at the University of Sheffield. The research focuses on developing new bearing designs for wind turbine applications, specifically investigating hydrodynamic bearings as alternatives to traditional rolling element bearings. The project addresses challenges around bearing materials, lubricants, and performance monitoring for large-scale wind turbines operating under highly variable loading conditions. Industrial support is provided by Victrex, ORE Catapult, Kluber, and Waukesha Dover Precision. The successful candidate will join the Leonardo Centre for Tribology at Sheffield, an active research group with approximately 25 PhD students working on machine elements, tribology, lubrication, and sensor systems for wind, automotive, rail and energy applications.