Precise microstructuring of metallic surfaces to improve wear properties

Summary form only given. Through controlled laser microstructuring of solid surfaces, the wear properties of solid surfaces can be improved: microholes induced on a friction surface can act like lubricant reservoirs and as traps for debris particles, ameliorating both friction and wear behaviours. In generating such microstructures, the laser has the advantage of its great versatility. Since it can be used in various environments and it can be adapted to a wide range of desired structures. In this work the laser beam coming from an industrial, flash-lamp pumped, Q-switched operated, Nd:YAG laser was focused on metallic surfaces, producing removal of the target material. The duration of pulses was 100 ns, FWHM for laser ablation within this temporal domain. Local melting and vaporising govern the mechanisms of material expulsion and the melt ejection occurs through the vapour pressure gradient.