Surface texturing using pulsed air arc treatment

Texturing of contact surfaces has a remarkable influence on their tribological properties. Various texturing techniques such as machining, ion beam texturing, etching techniques and laser texturing are employed for preparation of micrometer-sized valleys. Modern modification of surface layers for friction applications combines surface texturing and filling of textured layers by solid lubricant MoS2/WS2 or other compositions. In this work pulsed air arc treatment (PAAT) was used to texture the surface layers. The textured surfaces were obtained and then filled by solid lubricant. Some burnishing methods were used to deposit solid lubricant films on steel surfaces. The tribological properties of solid the lubricant films on textured surfaces were compared with the behavior of solid lubricant films burnished on ground surfaces. The wear rate and wearability of solid lubricant films were assessed. It was shown that application of PAAT and filling of micro-reservoirs by solid lubricant particles provide longevity under dry friction conditions. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.