Thesis: Real-time detection of wear debris in hydraulic motors

High Level Description

Hydraulic motors generate metallic wear debris that must be captured to ensure reliable
operation and long service life. Today, daily checks of the magnetic plug are done by eye,
which is subjective and hard to compare over time. The goal is to replace this with a
measurable, repeatable approach that estimates debris amount, particle size, and the rate at which debris forms—without stopping operation.

Project Description

The main goal is to test and verify techniques that enable quantitative measurements directly on the magnetic plug. After that, a prototype will be built for regular use to support objective monitoring and trending.

The work focuses on:

• Defining measurement requirements and acceptance criteria for amount, size distribution, and formation rate (incl. detection limit, response time, false alarms).
• Selecting, testing, and comparing sensor techniques/measurement methods to verify
• measurability and precision.
• Designing a prototype solution with local signal processing, alarming/logging, and
• simple readout.
• Verifying performance in a test rig and, if possible, in semi-realistic/real environments.

Who are we looking for?

Master's students in Engineering Physics, Energy Engineering or similar, with interest in measurement techniques, sensors, embedded systems, and signal processing.

An Exciting Journey with Knightec Group

Semcon and Knightec have joined forces as Knightec Group. Together, we are Northern Europe's leading strategic partner in product and digital service development. With a unique combination of cross-functional expertise and a holistic business understanding, we help our clients realize their strategies – from idea to complete solution.

Practical Information

This is a Thesis position, located at our office in Umeå or Örnsköldsvik. Start date is in January 2026.

Please submit your application as soon as possible, but no later than If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact Robert Nazaretyan. Note that due to GDPR, we only accept applications through our careers page.