Abstract:

This work has been undertaken as an Individual Research Project, constituting the major element of a structured PhD that will presently be completed by the lead author at UCD. The doctoral project is one of a set of 12 within a Marie Curie (MSCA) Innovative Training Network (ITN) [1] funded by the EU’s Horizon-2020 programme, which involves collaboration between five universities and 8 industry partners throughout Europe. The first author is based at, and employed by, a leading multinational corporation (Becton Dickinson, BD) that manufactures medical devices such as diabetes self-injector pens. Additionally, they are registered for the PhD degree at an adjacent university (UCD). Rather than undertaking R&D that is been immediately relevant to existing or planned future medical devices, the doctoral thesis is focussed on more generically fundamental design issues related to materials, manufacturing processes and prospective performance of product components.

The high-level objectives involve:
(i) designing biomimetically-inspired textured surfaces for polymer components,
(ii) considering the influence of positive and negative textures on changing the dry friction of moving polymer components, and
(iii) undertaking experimental and computational studies of these textured surfaces.

In the early stages of the structured training taken by the first author, similar to that of the other ITN students, 22 ECTS worth of credits were obtained for technical and transferrable-skills modules. All network partners were involved in either delivering or designing these modules, which were delivered in short intensive Winter/Summer Schools of 1-2 weeks duration at different consortium locations (Ireland, Denmark, Netherlands and Switzerland). This format was conducive to accelerating students’ learning, enhancing their individual projects, and to establishing a strong and supportive peer network. Furthermore, the first author undertook two secondments, one to UCD, and a second to a different university in another country (University of Padova, Italy), both of which served to enhance their broader understanding of the context and value of their research. At the time of writing, the lead author has not yet completed their studies. However, the structured format, and industry-based aspect of this project are anticipated to enhance their subsequent career progression prospects, consistent with other ITN projects [2].

During one of the academic secondment periods of the first author (to the University of Padova, Italy), it was possible to undertake some complementary studies into lubricated friction of textured polymer surfaces, and to compare the performance of textured polymer surfaces against those of textured rubber surfaces. This broader context, and insights into the different mechanical loading configurations associated with linear tracking Vs rotational tracking, proved to be broadly informative: the rotational tracking offers a robust approach for also investigating wear due to friction, while the linear tracking offers kinematics that can more closely mimic those associated with friction within the moving parts of a medical device.

References:
[1] www.simppermeddev.eu
[2] Bitsion, Martone, Ricci & Arfi, The innovative dimension of the research training programmes under H2020-MSCA-ITN: A methodological approach to track, measure and analyse innovative aspects and provide policy-feedback conclusions. F1000Research, 2023, 12:1020.

Keywords:

PhD training, structured PhD, innovative training network (ITN).