Effects of Laser Texturing on the Behavior of Boundary Layer and Lubricating Property in Powder Lubrication

Powder lubrication can effectively reduce the friction under extreme conditions, but the intervention of powder and the retention of interface are yet to be improved. In this paper, the laser texturing was used and its impact on the properties of powder lubrication was clarified. The effects of load and speed to the friction characteristics of textured surface were analyzed by changing the load and speed of the multifunctional friction and wear tester separately and using laser microscope. Results show that textured surface worked under higher load and higher speed than that of smooth surface. The tadpole-like boundary layer formed initially at the textured area. It can be observed that boundary layer at the textured area had a longer duration. In addition, the surface roughness increased gradually with the increase of speed and load.