THE EFFECT OF DIMPLE DEPTH TO THE FRICTION AND WEAR IN LINEAR MOTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11113/jtse.v12.252Abstract
Friction and wear remain major contributors to energy loss in engineering systems, demanding optimized surface engineering strategies. This study examines the effect of dimple aspect ratio on the tribological behavior of aluminium alloy surfaces textured using Laser Surface Texturing (LST). Elliptical dimples with depths of 100 µm, 150 µm, and 200 µm were fabricated and tested under lubricated linear reciprocating motion. Results show that the 150 µm dimples achieved the lowest coefficient of friction (COF), with reductions of 20.5%, 26.2%, and 5.0% compared to untextured surfaces at 40 N, 50 N, and 60 N, respectively. Wear analysis revealed that the 150 µm geometry reduced scar length by 21–28% relative to deeper textures, while maintaining balanced performance across all loads. Surface roughness (Ra ≈ 0.095 µm) confirmed its optimal lubrication-retention capability. Overall, the findings establish that intermediate aspect ratios maximize lubrication stability, reduce direct asperity contact, and improve component reliability for energy-efficient applications.
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