Tribological properties of laser surface texturing and molybdenizing duplex-treated stainless steel at elevated temperatures

Surface texturing can be used as the storage of solid lubricant. The stainless steel was first laser surface textured and then was molybdenized by double glow plasma alloying technology to improve its tribological properties. The friction and wear properties of texturing and molybdenizing duplex-treated steel from room temperature to 600 °C were tested on a ball-on-disk tribometer. The hardness of stainless steel is increased from HV196 to HV480 after molybdenizing. The friction coefficient of textured stainless steel smeared with MoS2 powders decreases from 0.40 to 0.10 at elevated temperature after molybdenizing. The wear rates of texturing and molybdenizing duplex-treated steel are much lower than those of single textured steel at elevated temperatures due to the lubrication of oxides of molybdenum.

► A plasma surface alloying technology (molybdenizing) is combined with laser surface texturing.
► The hardness of surface texture is improved by molybdenizing.
► The height of bulges on textured surface is decreased by molybdenizing.
► Friction coefficient and wear rate of textured surface are reduced by molybdenizing.