Particle type effect on mechanisms of surface texturing in reducing wear

The tribological behavior of tungsten carbide-textured samples with different particle types (silica, alumina and diamond) and sizes (5 and 25 µm) are investigated. Pin-on-disk experiments are conducted. Surface texture can effectively reduce the friction coefficient and wear rate of the sample with different particle types and sizes. When the lubricant has silica particles, the friction reduction efficiency of texture is the lowest. Softer particles are more likely to be crushed, making it easier to enter the friction interface and fill into the texture. The wear resistance increases with decreasing particle hardness. The particles will cause three-body and two-body abrasion. Small particles (5 µm) are more likely to enter the friction interface and roll more easily than larger particles (25 µm), causing more three-body abrasion. As the hardness of the particles increases, they are more likely to press against the surface of the specimen as they roll, leading to more three-body abrasion. Compared with untextured samples, textured samples can store particles and lubricant and thus have less three-body abrasion and two-body abrasion. This study provides new ideas for reducing the friction and wear of samples in water containing different particle types and sizes.