Effect of Laser Micro-Texturing on the Tribological Performance and Wear Mechanisms of CF/PEEK–316L Stainless Steel Friction Pairs Under Water Lubrication

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Abstract
To mitigate the deterioration of the tribological performance of end-face friction pairs under low-speed conditions, this study investigated a water-lubricated CF/PEEK–316L stainless steel end-face friction pair. Surface micro-textures with different depth-to-diameter ratios and texture area ratios were fabricated on the 316L stainless steel surface to evaluate the effects of texture parameters and sliding speed on tribological performance. The results showed that appropriately designed micro-textures effectively reduced the coefficient of friction and improved the wear characteristics of the friction pair. Among the tested conditions, the CF/PEEK–316L stainless-steel tribo-pair with a 316L counterface textured at ε = 0.05 and s = 10% exhibited the lowest average friction coefficient. At 200 rpm, this textured tribo-pair exhibited an average friction coefficient approximately 34.8% lower than that of the untextured tribo-pair. Furthermore, laser micro-textures suppressed interfacial material transfer and mitigated adhesive wear and three-body abrasive wear by capturing wear debris. Gear-pump prototype tests further showed that the textured surface improved flow-delivery and volumetric-efficiency performance, while promoting more uniform end-face wear morphology, indicating its potential application in practical gear-pump components. The findings provide guidance for surface-texture design and tribological-performance optimization of polymer/metal end-face friction pairs.
Funding Information
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (52405056)
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China (52275073)
  • Scientific Research Start-up Funds of Guangdong Ocean University (360302022203)
  • Scientific Research Start-up Funds of Guangdong Ocean University (360302022302)
  • Open Fund of Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Precision Gear Flexible Manufacturing Equipment Technology Enterprises (2021B1212050012-08)
  • Zhanjiang science and technology plan project (2024B01042)

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