Tribological characteristics and advanced processing methods of textured surfaces: a review

Surface texture is one of the hot spots in the field of surface tribology. It promotes friction by storing lubricating oil and abrasive particles, and in some cases it can also improve hydrodynamic effects. Since it has been widely used in mechanical parts, tribological characteristics and surface quality cannot be ignored. Nowadays, there are many ways to fabricate surface texture. Several classification methods based on different processing principles are introduced in this paper. It includes direct laser ablation, mechanical processing, EDM and ECM in material reduction processing, laser cladding, deposition method, and electroforming in additive processing and laser shock processing in deformation processing. The surface texture with good quality can be obtained by selecting proper machining method and proper machining parameters. The machining principle of each method, the research status of surface morphology of surface texture, and the advantages and disadvantages of each method are summarized. Finally, potential hybrid processing methods including their advantages and disadvantages as well as examples are presented.