Effect of crescent-shaped texture based on different depths and orientations on the frictional properties of cam tappets

The cam tappet friction pair is one of the three major friction pairs in an internal combustion engine, and the surface of the tappet undergoes severe wear during operation. To improve the wear resistance of the cam tappet friction pair during operation, in this study, crescent-shaped micro-textures were prepared on the surface of the tappet material of GCr15 steel by laser machining technique, and the effects of the orientation and depth of the texture on the friction properties of GCr15 steel were studied. The processed test samples were tested and characterized by friction and wear tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), 3D morphometry, and EDS. The flow field simulation model of micro-texture was established by using Fluent finite element software. The simulation and experimental results show that the crescent-shaped microtexture prepared on the surface of GCr15 steel can play a certain role in reducing friction and wear resistance, meanwhile orientation and depth of the texture affect the friction performance. In the fluid simulation, the positively oriented texture can produce higher oil film pressure than the opposite texture. When the texture depth is 20 μm, it has a better friction and wear reduction effect, and the friction coefficient decreases by 65.81% compared with that of the untextured surface, and the amount of wear decreases by 74.19%. This is mainly due to the existence of texture in the friction process to reduce the contact area and the shallower depth of texture can produce a larger oil film pressure in the oil lubrication state, so it has better tribological performance. The research data provide a certain reference for the design and optimization of the cam tappet friction pair.