Improvement in the tribological characteristics of Si-DLC coating by laser surface texturing under oil-lubricated point contacts at various temperatures

This paper presents and discusses the tribological characteristics of the untextured and textured silicon diamond-like carbon (Si-DLC) coatings in the temperature range of room temperature to 200 °C. Dimples were produced using a laser surface texturing (LST) technique on a Si-DLC coating deposited onto a bearing steel substrate using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) system to achieve good tribological behavior. The tribological characteristics of the untextured and textured Si-DLC coatings were investigated by conducting friction tests against an alumina (Al2O3) ball. The friction test results showed that the textured Si-DLC coating led to a lower friction coefficient and wear compared to that of the untextured Si-DLC coating throughout the temperature range tested, which may be attributed to the effects of dimples and microstructural alteration due to high-energy action of the pulsating laser beam.