Novel Embedded Sensing Technology for Smart Tubes and Connectors

Tribosonics is an innovation led company located and forged in Sheffield, United Kingdom. It drives transformation by using its unique ultrasonic sensing technologies to address challenges in tribological contacts (wear, friction and lubrication). Using its unique Technology Stack, it provides data of unmatched information density at an embedded component level, with core measurement competencies in stress, lubricant film thickness, wear, fluid properties, contact pressure and non-destructive testing. Tribosonics have developed novel ultrasonic and other measurement technology for measuring seals in industrial applications, which can be applied to the automotive industry.

The Project's aim is to introduce an innovative emission control system to materially improve the environmental efficacy of automotive engines.

The automotive sector has been dramatically impacted by Covid-19\. The automotive sector in the UK generates more than £100 billion per year in trade. Current forecasts predict £33.5 billion in production losses due to Covid-19\. As of 01/06/2020 it is estimated that the production loss in Europe is 2,446,344 vehicles. Global passenger vehicle demand is expected to drop 20% in 2020, and Volkswagen announced losses of US$2.2 billon per week of shutdown.

Much governmental support, aimed at stimulating the economic recovery, is tied to environmental sustainability: making existing vehicles less polluting, and accelerating the move to new vehicles that are inherently less polluting. The World Economic Forum (WEC) identifies regulatory change in the car sector as a key driver to help companies innovate and recover after the COVID-19 crisis. WEC also expects that the Covid-19 outbreak will accelerate industry consolidation and transformation. Worldwide, Europe has the most ambitious targets for reducing CO2 emissions with 95 g CO2/km in 2020/2021, again reduced by 15 % in 2025 and by 37,5 % by 2030\.

In the face of the challenge of Covid-19 there is a real danger that without a significant number of innovations (this project being one of them) then these ambitious targets will have to be relaxed. This will result in a negative impact on environmental sustainability. This project will help solve these challenges: enabling a reduction in the pollution of combustion engines, and accelerating the development and deployment of hybrid electric/electric vehicles. This will be achieved through embedding Tribosonics' technology in engine components to make 'smart components' that will address and enable the reduction of emissions to meet the requirements of regulatory changes brought in to achieve the above goals.