Assessment the Sliding Wear Behavior of Laser Microtexturing Ti6Al4V under Wet Conditions

Abstract

Laser micro-texturing processes, compared to untreated surfaces, can improve the friction, wear and wettability behavior of sliding parts. This improvement is related to the micro-geometry and the dimensions of the texture which is also dependent on the processing parameters. This research studied the effect of laser textured surfaces on the tribological behavior of titanium alloy Ti6Al4V. The influence of processing parameters was analyzed by changing the scanning speed of the beam and the energy density of pulse. First, the characterization of dimensional and geometrical features of the texturized tracks was carried out. Later, their influence on the wetting behavior was also evaluated through contact angle measurements using water as a contact fluid. Then, the tribological performance of these surfaces was analyzed using a ball-on-flat reciprocating tribometer under wet and dry conditions. Finally, wear mechanisms were identified employing electronic and optical microscopy techniques capable to evaluate the wear tracks on Ti surfaces and WC–Co spheres. These analyses had determined a strong dependence between the wear behavior and the laser patterning parameters. Wear friction effects were reduced by up to a 70% replacing conventional untreated surfaces of Ti6Al4V alloy with laser textured surfaces.

Surface Quality and Free Energy Evaluation of s275 Steel by Shot Blasting, Abrasive Water Jet Texturing and Laser Surface Texturing

“…The most influential parameter is confirmed to be the sweep speed, followed by the power applied to the laser beam. This is consistent with the indications in [26]. A low energy applied to the laser beam in combination with a high sweep speed produces a lower peak and valley geometry (Figure 9), generating a lower Rt value and a more homogeneous surface.…”

“…Another area of interest in surface modification is the reduction of wear caused. Generating high-precision microgeometric cavities by means of different technologies such as laser texturing allows for better lubrication of these surfaces, improving their tribological properties [1,[24][25][26].…”

Nanosecond Pulsed Laser Irradiation of Titanium Alloy Substrate: Effects of Periodic Patterned Topography on the Optical Properties of Colorizing Surfaces

“…There are several studies in the scientific literature that report the LST of the Ti 6 Al 4 V alloy. These are mainly focused on the characterization of micro-geometry and the study of the relationship with tribological behavior, which is generally evaluated by studying the wettability and surface roughness [2,4,6,14,23].…”

Tribology and Surface Engineering

“…They proved that presence of both PTFE and TiO 2 in the deposited coating leads to a lower friction coefficient of 0.1 and higher wear and corrosion resistance. Vazquez Martinez et al [29] applied laser micro-texturing of the Ti6Al4V alloy surface to improve the friction, wear, and wettability behavior under sliding conditions. They investigated the influence of processing parameters such scanning speed of the laser beam, and the energy density of pulse on the tribological characteristic of the titanium alloy, including measurements of the contact angle using water as a contact fluid.…”