Effect of Surface Texturing on Cast Iron Reciprocating against Steel under Cyclic Loading in Boundary and Mixed Lubrication Conditions

This study investigates the effect of laser surface texturing on the friction behavior of grey cast iron reciprocating under boundary, mixed lubrication conditions and cyclic loading. Four geometrical parameters of micro-textures (feature depth, feature diameter, area fraction, and sliding direction) were studied using a design of experiments (DoE) approach. The results showed that depending on the geometry, micro-textures can have either a positive or a negative effect on the friction behavior. The DoE analysis revealed that the coefficient of friction is mainly affected by the interaction of the feature depth and its diameter. It was found that this can be related to the aspect ratio of the dimples, and the best results were obtained for an aspect ratio of 0.1 and 0.17.