Project title: Smart mechanical seals based on engineered nanocomposites
Project ID: 2024-1.2.2-ERA_NET-2025-00028
Duration: September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2028
NKFIH funding amount: HUF 51,999,924
The project is supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office, and is implemented in cooperation between the HUN-REN Office for Supported Research Groups and HK-Ceram Kerámiagyártó Ltd. The total amount of the awarded grant is HUF 51,999,924, of which HUF 39,999,936 supports the work of the HUN-REN Office for Supported Research Groups, and specifically the HUN-REN–SZTE Reaction Kinetics and Surface Chemistry Research Group.
The ULMAN (Ultimate composites for smart mechanical sealing with advanced nanocomposites) project improved by both University and industrial partners from Hungary and Finland, addresses the need for advanced sealing technologies in industry, where existing methods lack real-time performance monitoring and efficient maintenance. Our objective is to create smart sealing solutions with enhanced mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties using electrically conductive composites. These innovations enable the seals to self-monitor and provide real-time health assessments, ensuring safer operation and timely maintenance across various industrial applications. The impact of ULMAN’s technology will significantly reduce downtime and maintenance costs, offering a safer, more reliable, and cost-effective alternative to traditional sealing methods. This positions our partners to lead in a competitive €54 billion market, delivering substantial safety and sustainability benefits in industrial processes. To pull off the goals of ULMAN’s multidisciplinary effort, our consortium will develop sustainable composites (based on bioplastics and natural rubber as matrix, pyrolyzed biomaterials as conductive filler, and abundant silica, silicate, alumina, aluminate and titanate as structural reinforcement materials) whose mechanical and electrical properties are engineered to meet the simultaneous demands of sealing and sensory functions, respectively.
