Friction and Wear Study of Laser Surface Textured Ti-6Al-4V Against Cast Iron and Stainless Steel Using Pin-on-Disc Tribometer

The reduction in the friction plays a vital role in improving the efficiency of the working machinery. The wear is the direct effect of friction which reduces the lifetime of the machine components. The modification of the surface of the materials can considerably reduce the wear and friction and thus improving the efficiency and increasing the lifetime of the machine components. The surface modification techniques such as abrasive jet machining, ECM, etching and LST are being used to alter the surface properties. This paper presents the laser surface texturing on titanium alloy, cast iron and stainless steel and testing of frictional properties such as friction and wear of titanium pins against cast iron and stainless steel discs. The texturing patterns are designed and laser ablation method is used to texture the surfaces of the pins and the discs. Since the friction is directly proportional to the contact area, the reduction in the surface contact area of the interacting surfaces is obtained through LST which plays a vital role in the reduction of friction wear. The textured patterns on the surface of the materials also act as a reservoir for the debris particles to get entrapped in them and reduce the three-body abrasion. The textured pins are tested against the textured discs using pin-on-disc tribometer. The friction and wear characteristics of the pin and the disc are determined and are compared against the untextured disc and pins. The experimental analysis of the textured surfaces established to reduce the friction and wear characteristic behaviour.