Abstract.
Laser technique is employed to improve substantially the tribological behavior of microstructured stainless steel surfaces. The laser-generated patterns consisting of precisely ablated microcraters were produced using a flash lamp pumped, Q-switched Nd:YAG laser. The rims of resolidified melt around the craters are typical features of laser-produced microstructures and the laser parameters were established where their extent was notably reduced. The remaining rims could easily be removed by gentle polishing. The laser-structured substrates were tribologically tested by a sliding tribometer under standard conditions. The test results show clearly that the microstructures improve the lifetime of the samples.
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Received: 29 December 1999 / Accepted: 7 January 2000 / Published online: 8 March 2000
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Dumitru, G., Romano, V., Weber, H. et al. Laser microstructuring of steel surfaces for tribological applications. Appl Phys A 70, 485–487 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/s003390051073
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s003390051073