Effect of surface texturing on tribological performance of sliding guideway under boundary lubrication

The friction between textured surfaces was investigated by reciprocating sliding tests under similar operating conditions of sliding guideways. Micro-grooves parallel, perpendicular and 45 degrees to sliding orientation were fabricated on the contacting surfaces of upper and/or lower guideways, and their tribological performance was evaluated with non-textured guideways as control group. The reduction of friction coefficient was observed for all the textured guideways, except for those with textures parallel to the sliding orientation. Lowest friction coefficient was achieved for both-side-textured guideways, while only-one-side textures were more effective in preventing stick-slip motion. The occlusal contact was found to be the main hindrance for improving tribological behavior by both-side texturing.