Dr Diwei Zhou, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Loughborough University.

Partner: Caterpillar

In engineering the life of machinery is very important and engine oil plays a vital role in conserving its working life. Lubricating oil is analogous to the blood in a body, the life support of the engine. The main functions of lubricant are to cool engine components, seals and cleans the engine subsystems and lubricate surface in relative motion for both friction reduction and wear inhibition. There are many different components that make up engine oil, including a combination of base oils as well as additives, contaminants, and oil chemical evolution by-products. It can be a challenge to determine the trace concentrations of these ingredients when additives and base oil are present. The main aim of this project is to develop and assess oil evolution models using statistical methods.