Research Projects

A study by Holmberg et al. (2017) found that friction and wear of moving engineering components consume about 20% and 3% of global energy, respectively. Surface texturing is a promising technique to reduce power consumption in tribological contacts, as it improves frictional and wear characteristics in all lubrication regimes. Laser-based techniques are gaining interest due to their ability to create textures on most materials with higher accuracy. However, these techniques cause heat affected zones (HAZ) around textured features, which have poor mechanical properties and are more susceptible to failures. The current demand for a technique that eliminates the HAZ zone around dimples, reduces initial investment costs, and maintains comparable production rates is high. The proposed machining-based technique uses the Rolling Tip Cutting tool (RTC-tool), which can create equivalent surface textures at lower initial investment without deteriorating surface mechanical properties and maintaining higher production rate. The RTC-tool can be used as a tool insert with any conventional machine tool, significantly reducing initial investment compared to laser-based techniques. The production rate will be dictated by the machining speed, and textures will be created through micro-machining (sub-millimeter features) and controlled electro-chemical etching (few tens of micron to sub-micron features). The performance of the textured surface will be evaluated through tribological tests and post-deformation characterizations. The principal outcome of this project would be a process that generates sub-micron to sub-millimeter textured features on metal surfaces using a conventional machine tool at relatively low cost.

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