Exploratory Study on the Wear Behavior of AISI 4140 Steel under Starved Lubrication and Laser Surface Texturing ConditionsPages 176-187
Juan Carlos Cervantes Abstract:
Wear in steel-to-steel contact systems represents a critical challenge under limited lubrication conditions. This study presents an exploratory investigation of the wear behavior of AISI 4140 steel in contact with D2 steel under starved lubrication and laser surface texturing conditions. A block-on-ring configuration was used to simulate sliding contact. A commercial water-based cutting fluid with emulsified characteristics was applied under starved conditions. Unlike conventional approaches favoring smaller texture diameters and high texture densities to promote uniform lubricant distribution, in this study a laser surface texturing was implemented using larger circular pattern designed to enhance lubricant retention under starved lubrication regime. The results show a consistent trend toward reduced wear and improved friction stability when starved lubrication and the proposed surface texturing are combined allowing to reduce wear (mass lost) by 90% and significantly reducing the coefficient of friction by 73% compared to the maximum value observed in dry conditions. Surface observations suggest that the textured features promote lubricant retention and debris entrapment under boundary lubrication regimes. Although no statistical analysis was performed, the findings provide relevant insights into wear mitigation strategies under constrained lubrication conditions. Overall, the results highlight the importance of texture volumetric capacity in starved lubrication regimes.
Keywords: AISI 4140 steel,
Wear,
Starved lubrication,
Laser surface texturing,
Block-on-Ring
|
PDF 