Research on the Improvement Effect and Mechanism of Micro-Scale Structures Treated by Laser Micro-Engraving on 7075 Al Alloy Tribological Properties

Abstract

During various applications in aerospace, ships, autos, and aircraft, 7075 Al alloy will frequently contact other materials, and therefore suffer from slight abrasion. However, the poor tribological properties of 7075 Al alloy greatly affect its performance and life length, leading to limitations in its application. Preparing roughness structures on the surface is regarded as a promising method to improve the properties of materials. However, the tribological properties of 7075 Al alloy cannot be enhanced significantly by roughness structures in complex dynamic changeable environments, owing to the incomplete understanding of the effect of roughness structures. Given the above issues, in this paper, micro-scale structures (linear grooves, gridding grooves, and arc grooves) were designed and prepared on 7075 Al alloy surfaces by a surface treatment (laser micro-engraving), which provides excellent controllability of the morphology and dimensions of as-prepared roughness structures. The tribological properties of the as-prepared surfaces were investigated systemically. The effect of micro-scale structures on the tribological properties was studied. The wear mechanism and tribological properties improvement mechanism of the surfaces were clarified. Furthermore, the effect degree of the enhancement factors of the micro-scale structures on the tribological properties was explored under different conditions. The results indicate that the micro-scale structures play an important role in improving the tribological properties of Al alloy under different sliding speeds. The improvement mechanism can be summarized by four factors. However, the effect degrees of these factors on the tribological properties exhibit considerable differences. This study not only develops specific micro-scale structures that can dramatically improve the tribological properties of 7075 Al alloy under different conditions, but also offers guidance for the construction of appropriate roughness structures that can dramatically improve the tribological properties of Al alloy according to the friction conditions.

Keywords

• Al alloy
• micro-scale structure
• tribological properties
• effect mechanism