Effect of Groove Surface Texture on Tribological Characteristics and Energy Consumption under High Temperature Friction

PLoS One. 2016 Apr 1;11(4):e0152100. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0152100. eCollection 2016.

Abstract

Energy consumption and tribological properties could be improved by proper design of surface texture in friction. However, some literature focused on investigating their performance under high temperature. In the study, different groove surface textures were fabricated on steels by a laser machine, and their tribological behaviors were experimentally studied with the employment of the friction and wear tester under distinct high temperature and other working conditions. The friction coefficient was recorded, and wear performance were characterized by double light interference microscope, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and x-ray energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS). Then, the performances of energy consumptions were carefully estimated. Results showed that friction coefficient, wear, and energy consumption could almost all be reduced by most textures under high temperature conditions, but to a different extent which depends on the experimental conditions and texture parameters. The main improvement mechanisms were analyzed, such as the hardness change, wear debris storage, thermal stress release and friction induced temperature reduction by the textures. Finally, a scattergram of the relatively reduced ratio of the energy consumption was drawn for different surface textures under four distinctive experimental conditions to illustrate the comprehensive energy consumption improving ability of textures, which was of benefit for the application of texture design.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Conservation of Energy Resources
  • Electric Power Supplies
  • Equipment Design
  • Friction*
  • Hot Temperature
  • Industry / instrumentation*
  • Lasers
  • Manufactured Materials / analysis*
  • Stainless Steel / chemistry*
  • Stress, Mechanical
  • Surface Properties
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Stainless Steel

Grants and funding

Support was provided by the Science and Technology Innovation Fund (2014kct-03). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.