Microtexture fabrication on cylindrical metallic surfaces and its application to a rotor-bearing system

Abstract

A process to fabricate large-scale three-dimensional microstructures for cylindrical objects is developed by employing the techniques of pre-treatment, coating, rolling exposure, and electrochemical micromachining (EMM). In this work, the rolling exposure technique is advanced and used to fabricate a patterned photoresist mask. Several experiments are implemented to understand the dependence of the microtexture morphology on the EMM process. The various electrochemical mechanisms involved in the EMM process are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the texture surfaces are introduced into a rotor-bearing system and demonstrated a 64 % reduction in the vibrations, improving the stability for the first time. The results of the present study demonstrate the feasibility of using through-mask EMM for producing high-precision topographies on cylindrical objects, and that the application of surface textures in the rotor-bearing system is practical. The technique developed in this study is expected to lead to enhancements in roll-based manufacturing and automotive tribology.