Recent Achievements and Future Developments in Surface Texture Control of Tribological Properties

A special issue of Lubricants (ISSN 2075-4442).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2025) | Viewed by 1115

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Equipment Reliability Institute, Shenyang University of Chemical Technology, Shenyang 110142, China
Interests: surface texture; tribology; lubricants and lubricant additives; deep learning and diagonosis; optimization

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Guest Editor
Institute of Future Agriculture (IFA), Northwest A&F University, Yangling, Xianyang 712100, China
Interests: surface modification; laser surface texturing; texturing effect; contact mechanism; surface texturing for dry contact

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Surface texture has been proven to have the ability to improve the friction, lubrication, vibration and biological performance of mechanical components by preparing a macro-/micro-structure array with specific shapes, arrangements, and sizes on the contact surfaces through appropriate processing techniques, to realize the desired surface properties, without changing the material properties and chemical composition of the matrix itself. However, effective systematic design methods, performance prediction theories, and intelligent diagnosis and optimization algorithms have not yet been developed since the 1960s.

This Special Issue aims to report the latest achievements of surface texture in the above-mentioned fields, and provide some constructive and forward-looking directions for the future development of surface texture.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • New bio-mimetic surface texture and its tribological characteristics;
  • Dynamic modeling and analysis of surface textured friction pairs or mechanical components (such as rolling bearings);
  • Novel and efficient surface texture manufacturing methods;
  • Friction behavior prediction and diagnosis of surface textured mechanical parts based on deep learning;
  • The latest applications of surface texture technology in more fields.

Dr. Risheng Long
Dr. Yuan Wei
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • tribological properties
  • surface texturing technology
  • dynamics modeling and analysis
  • bio-mimetic
  • machine learning
  • deep learning
  • prediction and diagnosis
  • design and optimization

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 4348 KiB  
Article
Maskless Electrochemical Texturing (MECT) Applied to Skin-Pass Cold Rolling
by Paulo L. Monteiro, Jr., Wilian Labiapari, Washington M. Da Silva, Jr., Cristiano de Azevedo Celente and Henara Lillian Costa
Lubricants 2025, 13(7), 312; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13070312 - 18 Jul 2025
Viewed by 345
Abstract
The surface topography of the rolls used in skin-pass cold rolling determines the surface finish of rolled sheets. In this sense, work rolls can be intentionally textured to produce certain topographical features on the final sheet surface. The maskless electrochemical texturing method (MECT) [...] Read more.
The surface topography of the rolls used in skin-pass cold rolling determines the surface finish of rolled sheets. In this sense, work rolls can be intentionally textured to produce certain topographical features on the final sheet surface. The maskless electrochemical texturing method (MECT) is a potential candidate for industrial-scale application due to its reduced texturing cost and time when compared to traditional texturing methods. However, there are few studies in the literature that address the MECT method applied to the topography control of cold rolling work rolls. The present work aims to analyze the viability of surface texturing via MECT of work rolls used in skin-pass cold rolling. In this study, we first investigated how texturing occurs for tool steel using flat textured samples to facilitate the understanding of the dissolution mechanisms involved. In this case, a specially designed texturing chamber was built to texture flat samples extracted from an actual work roll. The results indicated that the anodic dissolution involved in tool steel texturing occurs preferentially in the metallic matrix around the primary carbides. Then, we textured a work roll used in pilot-scale rolling tests, which required the development of a special prototype to texture cylindrical surfaces. After texturing, the texture transfer from the work roll to the sheets was investigated. Rolling tests showed that the work roll surface textured with a dimple pattern generated a pillar-shaped texture pattern on the sheet surface, possibly due to a reverse extrusion mechanism. Full article
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16 pages, 10121 KiB  
Article
Parameter Optimization for the Improvement of Tribological Behavior of Textured Tapered Roller Bearings
by Risheng Long, Qiang Ma, Qingyu Shang, Haiming Wang, Ying Yao, Yueyong Wang and Lin Zong
Lubricants 2025, 13(4), 165; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13040165 - 5 Apr 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 525
Abstract
To enhance the operational stability and service life of tapered roller bearings (TRBs), this study investigates the application of surface texturing technology using laser marking to fabricate micro-dimples with controlled diameters and distributions on the TRB outer ring. An orthogonal experimental design was [...] Read more.
To enhance the operational stability and service life of tapered roller bearings (TRBs), this study investigates the application of surface texturing technology using laser marking to fabricate micro-dimples with controlled diameters and distributions on the TRB outer ring. An orthogonal experimental design was implemented to systematically evaluate the effects of three key dimple parameters—diameter, depth, and angular distribution—on the tribological performance under starved lubrication. The results demonstrate that the textured surfaces significantly improve friction-reducing performance and wear resistance. Optimal dimple parameters (diameter: 200 μm, depth: 10 μm, angular interval: 0.9°) were identified, achieving a 43.6% reduction in the average coefficient of friction (COF) and a 75.7% decrease in wear loss compared to smooth bearings. These findings would offer a practical approach to enhancing the durability and operational reliability of TRBs in industrial applications. Full article
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