Laser Texturing to Improve Wear Resistance of 65Mn Steel Rotary Tiller Blades: Effects of Scanning Speed

Abstract

With rapid advancements in agricultural mechanization, enhancing the wear resistance and lifespan of rotary tiller blades is crucial for boosting productivity. This study examines how surface textures affect the friction and wear of 65Mn steel in quartz sand slurry. The results show that laser processing treatment significantly improves the wear resistance of 65Mn steel blades through the lubrication effect due to the wear debris capturing ability of the laser-processed micro-pits. Samples with surface textures processed using a laser scanning speed of 200 mm/s exhibit the best anti-wear property under loads of both 70 N and 100 N, reducing the wear loss by approximately 44.19% and 36.22%, respectively, compared to the non-textured samples. With the applied load increase to 100 N, laser-processed textures can still reduce wear damage but with an impaired anti-wear effect due to the gradually flattening of some textures due to long-term friction and crush damage by high load conditions. These findings help to augment wear resistance and prolong the operational lifespan of 65Mn steel rotary tiller blades, thereby contributing to a more robust understanding of the tribological enhancements achievable through the laser surface texturing process.

Keywords

• rotary tiller blades
• 65Mn steel
• laser surface texturing
• friction and wear
• wear-resistant