Abstract
Surface texturing is an effective method to reduce friction without the need to change materials. In this study, surface textures were transferred to rubber samples in the form of dimples, using a novel laser surface texturing (LST)—based texturing during moulding (TDM) production process, developed within the European Project MouldTex. The rubber samples were used to experimentally determine texture-induced friction variations, although, due to the complexity of manufacturing, only a limited amount was available. The tribological friction measurements were hence combined with an artificial intelligence (AI) technique, i.e., Reduced Order Modelling (ROM). ROM allows obtaining a virtual representation of reality through a set of numerical strategies for problem simplification. The ROM model was created to predict the friction outcome under different operating conditions and to find optimised dimple parameters, i.e., depth, diameter and distance, for friction reduction. Moreover, the ROM model was used to evaluate the impact on friction when manufacturing deviations on dimple dimensions were observed. These results enable industrial producers to improve the quality of their products by finding optimised textures and controlling nominal surface texture tolerances prior to the rubber components production.
Highlights
In the following subsections the results obtained from the experimental tribotests and dimple dimensions nominal values assessment, the data pre-processing and the statistical analysis of textures dimensions are detailed
Within the scope of this paper, a pin-on-disc tribometer was used to measure dynamic friction in the contact of surface textured rubber specimens that were manufactured by texturing during moulding (TDM)
Since no global surface texture optimum could be found experimentally that exhibits the lowest friction under all operating conditions, it is concluded that a surface texture needs always to be determined individually, based on the prevailing operating conditions, in order to achieve maximum friction reduction
Summary
Within the industrial and scientific communities, significant improvements in dynamic seal performance have been achieved through a series of technological advances, such as the introduction of low-friction polymers [1]. This approach is limited by the operating conditions, such as temperatures or the chemical resistance of the new materials. Surface texturing is an effective method to modify the friction level without changing materials or the lubricant in the dynamic seal contact. An early method of surface texturing, used to improve the tribological performance of mechanical components, is cylinder honing in internal-combustion engines [2]. Further experimental and theoretical studies revealed a significant reduction in friction due to grooves [3] and, in particular, micro dimples in the reciprocating contact of piston rings and cylinder bores of combustion engines [4,5]
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