Abstract
In recent years, 3D scanning and printing of plastics has rapidly matured while printing of metallic parts is only gaining popularity due to required refinements of technology combined with cost- and resources effectiveness for the main components of printers and consumables. The 3D printing allows producing complicated shapes that can be hardly produced by conventional mechanical tools and can provide the functionalization of surfaces. In this work, several different stainless steel (AISI 316 L) surface patterns (flat, gecko’s fibrils, dimples, pyramids, mushrooms, mesh, brush, inclined brush) intended for controlling the coefficient of friction were printed with the help of a 3D metal printer by selective laser melting technique. Unidirectional sliding tests were performed with pin-on-disc configuration. Sliding velocity of 5 × 10−3 m/s and continuously increasing load ranged from 5 to 103 N has been applied in the course of “scanning” mode and accompanied by simultaneous recording of the coefficient of friction. A stainless steel (AISI 316) disc counterbody was used in this series of the tests. It was found that the 3D printed structures allow to control the value and stability of the coefficient of friction in a wide range of loads. Microstructural analysis of the worn samples was performed to support the conclusions regarding wear mechanism.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.