LAUSR

Abstract A method of combining surface texturing with longitudinal or transverse micro-vibration was proposed to further enhance the tribological performance of mechanical components. The influences of vibration parameters and micro-dimple geometrical parameter on the tribological performance were studied to verify the feasibility of tribology enhancement by numerical and experimental methods. Results show that the friction coefficients can be significantly reduced by superimposing longitudinal or transverse vibration on the textured surfaces under different lubrication conditions. The friction coefficient slightly increases with the increase of vibration frequency and significantly diminishes with the increase of vibration velocity amplitude. The improvement of lubrication condition is the main mechanism of friction reduction. Since the vibrations can enhance the average load capacity of the textured surface and drag out the lubricant reserved in the micro-dimples, in turn, enlarge the thickness of lubricant film. These results provide a novel perspective to reduce friction and save energy in mechanical systems and metal processing.