Low maintenance reliable main bearings for large wind turbines

About the Project

Almost all the bearings in wind turbine transmissions are rolling element type [1]. That includes slow and high-speed shafts, gearboxes, blade pitch bearings, and the main bearing that supports the rotor. Wind loading is highly variable and so bearings can operate at changeable speeds, high and very variable loading [2]. Wear and fatigue failures are common for bearings – design life is 20 years but bearings rarely last that long [3]. Manufacturing very large bearings (up to 5m diameter) is expensive and repairing or replacing them very difficult. In other large scale machines (e.g. hydro-electric power stations, ships propeller bearing) sliding type or ‘hydrodynamic’ bearings [4] are much more common.

There is increasing interest from industry to come up with new designs for these kinds of bearings for wind turbine applications. A prototype turbine in China has operated successfully for a year, and other bearing companies [5] are embarking on similar technologies.

Some of the challenges [6] will be around finding bearing design, materials, and lubricants that will withstand the high loads and start-stop nature of operation. This project is about supporting those developments. Some questions that will need to be addressed: will conventional bearing facing materials survive the extreme conditions, how will lubricant be supplied to the bearing faces in such a large assembly, will greases be adequate, the effect of saltwater contamination, and how will the oil film formation and performance be monitored?

We have industrial support from Victrex (the world leader with 75% market share in PEEK tribological polymer, who will supply test samples), ORE Catapult (who will supply wind loading data, and the potential for field trials), Klüber (a lubricant manufacturer who will supply WT greases), Waukesha Dover Precision (a major bearing manufacturer, who will guide design process and provide samples).

As well as being a member of the Offshore Wind CDT, you would also be joining the Leonardo Centre for Tribology, which is an active and friendly group. There are ~25 PhD students working on machine elements, tribology, lubrication, and sensor systems for wind, auto, rail and energy applications. The group has well equipped labs and its own office space for the PhD students.

Training & Development

Your training will begin with an intensive six-month programme at the University of Hull, drawing on the expertise and facilities of all four academic partners. It is supplemented by Continuing Professional Development (CPD), which is embedded throughout your 4-year research scholarship giving you a broad understanding of the breadth and depth of current and emerging offshore wind sector needs.

The successful applicant will be provided training in tribology, rig design and build, sensor design and signal processing. These will be delivered in house and through peer learning, also using online facilities where available. They will also have access to modules within the Faculty of Engineering (in Sheffield) where relevant.

Entry Requirements

If you have received a First-class Honours degree, or a 2:1 Honours degree and a Masters, or a Distinction at Masters level with any undergraduate degree (or international equivalents) in Engineering, Physics, or a related subject, we would like to hear from you.

If your first language is not English, you will be required to provide evidence of your English language ability. We require an IELTS (or equivalent) score of 7.0 overall, with no less than 6.0 in each skill.

Guaranteed Interview Scheme

We offer a Guaranteed Interview Scheme for home fee status candidates who identify as Black or Black mixed or Asian or Asian mixed if they meet the programme entry requirements. This positive action is to support recruitment of under-represented ethnic groups to our programme and is an opt-in process.

How to Apply

Please familiarise yourself with the AURA CDT website before you apply. The Frequently asked questions page and Candidate resources page are essential reading.

As part of the recruitment process, please submit a short 5 minute film of you delivering a presentation on “How do your experiences and qualities provide a background to contribute to research and innovation for the project you have applied for”.

You will be assessed on the content of your presentation, not your film editing skills, but please film in an appropriate, quiet location. The presentation could be a slide presentation with voice over, or you may wish to present simply talking to the camera, use the method you are most comfortable with. Please use tools and technology that are accessible to you e.g. your mobile phone, Keynote or Powerpoint.

You may only apply for ONE project offered through the CDT, via this page. After filling in your personal details, please select ‘Doctoral Training Course’ as the qualification you are applying for, and ‘AURA II CDT’ for the specific doctoral training course.

Please upload the following to your application:

• Complete transcripts and degree certificates (where possible). The documents should be provided in English and the original language.
• Your CV.
• A completed Supplementary Application Form. This includes space for you to provide a link where the shortlisting panel may view your film.

Save the supplementary application form as a pdf, labelled: Last name_first name PhD application form, and upload it when asked to add your Supporting Statement. Do not send your form directly to the CDT.

Interviews

First-round interviews will be held online during early to mid-February 2026. The interview panel will comprise the project supervisors and a CDT representative. Where the project involves external or industry supervisors then they may form part of the interview panel and your application documents will be shared with them.

If you are successful, you will progress to a second interview towards the end of February 2026. This will be with key academics from the CDT from across our four partner institutions (Durham, Hull, Loughborough, Sheffield) and your application documents will be shared with them.

Documents shared with external staff will have the guaranteed interview scheme section removed from your supplementary application form.

Interested?

Queries should be directed to Prof. Rob Dwyer-Joyce (r.dwyer-joyce@sheffield.ac.uk) or the CDT (auracdt@hull.ac.uk)

Funding Notes

The AURA CDT is funded by EPSRC, allowing us to provide scholarships that cover fees plus a stipend set at the UKRI nationally agreed rates. These are currently £20,780 per annum at 2025/26 rates and will increase in line with the EPSRC guidelines for the subsequent years (subject to progress).

Our CDT scholarships are available to Home (UK) students. To be considered a Home student, you must have no restrictions on how long you can stay in the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the UK for at least 3 years prior to the start of the scholarship.