Surface textures have been of great interest in the tribology community with nearly 1500 papers published on this topic in the past two decades. With pursuit of low emissions and environmental sustainability, the application of surface texturing to mechanical systems to lower friction and control wear is attracting increasing attention. There is no doubt that certain textured surface can have a beneficial effect on tribological performance but it is widely agreed that the optimization of textures should be carried out based on specific applications requirements. The purpose of this review article is to summarize the current state of the art in surface texturing applied to mechanical applications (cutting tools, piston-ring & cylinder liners, sealing and journal bearings) from the following aspects: application requirements, numerical/ experimental testing and validations, and tribological performance of textured surfaces (wear and friction), as well as limitations in texture designs according to certain applications. Patterns/grooves in micron-scale are the most typical shapes been studied, and benefits of partial texturing are applicable for most of these mechanical applications. Friction reduction of up to 34.5% in cutting tools, 82% in piston-ring & cylinder-liner, 65% in seals and 18% in journal bearings have been observed by experimental tests. Based on primary evidence from the literature, the last section provides general suggestions on current gaps in understanding and modelling and suggests future research directions.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2051-672X/abb6d0/pdf

Tribological performance of surface texturing in mechanical applications—a review

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