Combined Effect of a Laser Cladded Coating and Surface Texture on Tribological Performance Under Dry Sliding and Starved Lubrication

Fe-based alloy coating was laser cladded on gray cast iron using Ni-Cu alloy as an intermediate layer. The cross section of the laser cladded coating was characterized by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) equipped with energy dispersive spectrometry (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and a Vickers hardness tester. A microdimple texture was created by reciprocating an electrolyte jet with prefabricated mask (REJP) machining on an Fe-based alloy coating. The tribological performances of untextured and textured coatings were examined through interrupted wear tests using an in-house developed reciprocating ball-on-plate tribotester under dry sliding and starved lubricated conditions. The results show that the presence of microdimple edges in the nonconformal contact region has a detrimental effect on the friction performance under dry sliding. However, the microdimples can be beneficial for trapping debris to preserve a smoother contacting surface and thus a lower volume wear track compared to untextured coatings. Due to its role in oil reservoirs and debris entrapment, the microdimple textured coating can maintain a low friction coefficient for a long time period after lubricant oil cutoff and results in a lower volume wear track under starved lubrication. Graphical abstract