Anti-Wear Property of Laser Textured 42CrMo Steel Surface

In this work, laser processing technology was utilized to fabricate micro-textures on the surface of 42CrMo steel to improve its wear resistance under high load conditions and provide an effective method to solve the wear of tooth plates in oil drilling wellhead machinery. Firstly, the friction process of the textured components was conducted by finite element analysis. Additionally, various forms of textures were compared and measured by this method to optimize the shape and parameters of the patterns. Secondly, three types of texture shapes, such as micro-dimples, micro-grooves, and reticular grooves, were created on the surface of 42CrMo steel. Lastly, the tribological characteristics of the micro-textures were analyzed in the dry friction experiments. Compared with the untextured surface, the wear resistance of the textured 42CrMo steel has been improved, and the anti-wear property of the micro-dimples was better than micro-grooves and reticular grooves. Along the direction of friction sliding, the wear of the front end is more worn than the rear end. Micro-dimples with a diameter of 0.8 mm, a spacing of 1.2 mm, and an area occupancy of 34.8% were fabricated at an output power of 200 W and a frequency of 5 Hz. The wear of the textured surface has been reduced by more than 80% in the process of ring-block dry friction with a load of 50 N, a rotation speed of 35 r/min, and a time of 15 min. The wear mechanism is mainly abrasive wear. The results showed that the hardness of the surface could be improved by laser hardening. In addition, micro-dimples on 42CrMo steel can store abrasive particles, mitigate the formation of furrows and reduce the abrasive wear of tooth plates.