Improving the surface durability of patterned AISI 316LM steels by nitriding treatment for dry friction sliding

Abstract In this study, different configurations of hard micro-patterns on AISI 316LM samples are obtained by a dry etching step followed by plasma nitriding. A “ball-on-plane” tribometer was used for low velocity reciprocal dry friction tests in order to characterise the influence of configurations on asperity lifetime, friction coefficient and wear mechanisms. The distance between asperities plays a key role in friction and wear behaviours by acting on contact pressure and development of debris. For a given ball dimension, pattern configuration determines the debris management at the contact and along the wear track. With 100 μm spacing between asperities, most part of the debris are simply trapped. At 300 μm, wear mechanisms are more complex with a debris recycling by the ball.