Laser-assisted structuring of ceramic and steel surfaces for improving tribological properties

Laser structured 100Cr6 and alumina surfaces mated to 100Cr6 cylinders showed that a reduction of friction could be achieved in comparison to the polished surfaces. Dependent on the kind of the surface structure the coefficient of friction could be reduced up to 30%, especially in the initial period of the tribological experiment. The results show that the laser technique is an effective tool to optimise the topography of tribological surfaces.