Design Methodology and Application of Surface Texture: A Review

Surface texture is regarded as a promising solution for enhancing the tribological features of industrial materials due to its outstanding benefits, such as minimization of the contact area, enhancement of the load bearing capacity, storage of the lubricant, and management of the transition between lubrication regimes. Surface texture can be processed under either liquid or gas conditions. As compared to laser ablation in air, employing liquids or other gases as ablation media provides high accuracy and uniformity by limiting the heat-affected zone (HAZ) and other undesired defects to a large extent, as well as high crater structural features. In addition, the synergistic use of different liquid, solid, and additive lubricants with surface roughness recently demonstrated excellent performance. Therefore, surface texture helps to improve the tribological characteristics of a material. This paper reviews the design methodologies and applications of surface texture, emphasizing the proper selection of the appropriate laser parameters and ambient conditions for the best texture quality and functionality. Recent texture geometric design features to improve the film thickness and the self-lubricating system are presented. The ablation environment is explored using various media. The interaction between the lubricants’ types and surface textures is explored based on the operating conditions. Furthermore, surface texture applications using superhydrophobic surfaces, anti-drag, and vibration and noise friction are discussed. We hope that this review plays an enlightening role in follow-up research on laser surface texture.