The effect of biomimetic laser surface treatment on the wear performance of high manganese steel

Abstract

High manganese steel finds widespread applications in diverse friction and wear environments. The poor wear resistance of high manganese steel at low stress levels has prompted researchers globally to focus on studying its wear performance. Drawing inspiration from the protective features of pangolin scales, this study employed a pulsed radiation mode CO2 laser to conduct biomimetic laser surface treatment (BLST) on Mn13 high manganese steel. The BLST generated a biomimetic surface morphology consisting of tiny scales on the high manganese steel specimens. Subsequently, the biomimetic laser surface-treated (BLSTed) specimens underwent tests for surface morphology, microstructure, microhardness, and surface roughness. These tests employed metallographic microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, a microhardness tester, and a surface profilometer, respectively. A ring block friction and wear testing machine was utilized to evaluate the wear performance of the BLSTed specimens. Changes in laser power, laser frequency, and laser scanning velocity were found to alter the surface morphology of BLSTed specimens. The experimental results revealed that the microstructure of the BLSTed specimen surface comprised needle-like martensite. The increment in surface hardness and surface roughness of BLSTed specimens contributed to an elevation in their average friction coefficient. Furthermore, the surface hardness and wear performance of BLSTed specimens exhibited varying degrees of improvement with the increase in laser power, laser frequency, and laser scanning velocity. The tiny biomimetic scales, created through BLST, provided protection to high manganese steel akin to the protective scales on the body of pangolins. Finally, the study unveiled the wear resistance mechanism of BLSTed specimens.