Methodology of laser processing for precise control of surface micro-topology

Abstract Laser surface texturing of materials potentially offers precise control of surface structure and mechanical properties. This has a wide range of applications such as control of frictional forces, control of bond strength in interference fit joints, and production of antifouling surfaces. To achieve such texturing in a well-defined, useful manner, precise control of the applied laser processing parameters over a sizeable surface area is required. This paper presents the development of a method for creating highly repeatable and predetermined moire textured patterns on metallic samples via laser processing. While the method developed is broadly applicable to various materials and laser systems, in the example detailed here the surfaces of cylindrical stainless steel samples were processed with a pulsed CO 2 laser. The resulting modified surfaces contained texture geometries with pre-definable peak-to-peak widths, valley-to-peak heights, and texture directions. The method of achieving this theoretically and experimentally is detailed in this paper. The relationship between the laser processing parameters and resulting diameter increase was confirmed via Design of Experiment response surface methodology. Precise control of the laser textured cylindrical surface outer diameter and texture pattern are key factors in determining the potential suitability of this process for application to the production of interference fit fasteners. The effects of the laser processing parameters and topologies of the resulting re-solidified metal profile on the surfaces were assessed in detail with a focus on this application.

[1]  Bernardus Engelina Römer Gerardus Richardus,et al.  Modification of Cu surface with picosecond laser pulses , 2014 .

[2]  J. Hosson,et al.  On the surface topography of ultrashort laser pulse treated steel surfaces , 2011 .

[3]  I. Etsion,et al.  Improving fuel efficiency with laser surface textured piston rings , 2009 .

[4]  W. Steen.  Laser Material Processing , 1991 .

[5]  N. Day,et al.  Staphylococcal and streptococcal infections , 2001 .

[6]  Izhak Etsion.  State of the Art in Laser Surface Texturing , 2004 .

[7]  J. Dowden.  The Mathematics of Thermal Modeling: An Introduction to the Theory of Laser Material Processing , 2001 .

[8]  Rui Vilar,et al.  Femtosecond laser surface texturing of titanium as a method to reduce the adhesion of Staphylococcus aureus and biofilm formation , 2016 .

[9]  O. Vinogradova,et al.  Superhydrophobic Textures for Microfluidics , 2012 .

[10]  Jože Vižintin,et al.  Surface texturing by pulsed Nd:YAG laser , 2009 .

[11]  Sumsun Naher,et al.  High speed laser surface modification of Ti-6Al-4V , 2012 .

[12]  Prasan K. Samal,et al.  Powder Metallurgy Stainless Steels: Processing, Microstructures, and Properties , 2007 .

[13]  P. Astagneau,et al.  Morbidity and mortality associated with surgical site infections: results from the 1997-1999 INCISO surveillance. , 2001, The Journal of hospital infection.

[14]  Sha Tao,et al.  A two-step nanosecond laser surface texturing process with smooth surface finish , 2011 .

[15]  Songsong Zhang,et al.  Underwater drag-reducing effect of superhydrophobic submarine model. , 2015, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[16]  T. N. Baker.  Laser surface modification of Ti alloys , 2010 .

[17]  Andrea Mammoli,et al.  Drag reduction on a patterned superhydrophobic surface. , 2006, Physical review letters.

[18]  Hyungmin Park,et al.  Superhydrophobic turbulent drag reduction as a function of surface grating parameters , 2014, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[19]  N. Ali,et al.  SEM, AFM, EDX and XRD analysis of laser ablated Ti in nonreactive and reactive ambient environments , 2013 .

[20]  Roland Zengerle,et al.  Completely superhydrophobic PDMS surfaces for microfluidics. , 2012, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[21]  Xinghua Wu,et al.  Development of durable self-cleaning coatings using organic–inorganic hybrid sol–gel method , 2015 .

[22]  Peter Englezos,et al.  Patterned superhydrophobic metallic surfaces. , 2009, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[23]  Izhak Etsion,et al.  Experimental Investigation of Laser Surface Textured Parallel Thrust Bearings , 2004 .

[24]  S. Bai,et al.  Effect of droplet size on wetting behavior on laser textured SiC surface , 2015 .

[25]  Frank A. Müller,et al.  Bio-Inspired Functional Surfaces Based on Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures , 2016, Materials.

[26]  L. Chi,et al.  Simple approach to wafer-scale self-cleaning antireflective silicon surfaces. , 2009, Langmuir : the ACS journal of surfaces and colloids.

[27]  Patrick J. Smith,et al.  Nanosecond laser textured superhydrophobic metallic surfaces and their chemical sensing applications , 2015 .

[28]  Dong Du,et al.  Laser texturing of rollers by pulsed Nd:YAG laser , 2005 .

[29]  P. Maravelaki-Kalaitzaki,et al.  TiO2–SiO2–PDMS nano-composite hydrophobic coating with self-cleaning properties for marble protection , 2013 .

[30]  Ashok Kumar,et al.  Advanced Biomaterials: Fundamentals, Processing, and Applications , 2009 .

[31]  P. Dearnley,et al.  A review of metallic, ceramic and surface-treated metals used for bearing surfaces in human joint replacements , 1999, Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Part H, Journal of engineering in medicine.

[32]  Angeliki Tserepi,et al.  Hierarchical micro and nano structured, hydrophilic, superhydrophobic and superoleophobic surfaces incorporated in microfluidics, microarrays and lab on chip microsystems , 2015 .

[33]  M.S.J. Hashmi,et al.  3D transient thermal modelling of laser microchannel fabrication in lime-soda glass , 2008 .

[34]  Dirk W Grijpma,et al.  Microbial biofilm growth vs. tissue integration: "the race for the surface" experimentally studied. , 2009, Acta biomaterialia.

[35]  Hua-ming Wang,et al.  Wear resistance of a laser surface alloyed Ti–6Al–4V alloy , 2000 .

[36]  D. Brabazon,et al.  In vitro fibroblast and pre-osteoblastic cellular responses on laser surface modified Ti–6Al–4V , 2014, Biomedical materials.

[37]  I. Etsion,et al.  Experimental Investigation of Partial Laser Surface Texturing for Piston-Ring Friction Reduction , 2005 .

[38]  D. Yapp,et al.  Welding with high power fiber lasers – A preliminary study , 2007 .

[39]  V. Kumar.  Process parameters influencing melt profile and hardness of pulsed laser treated Ti–6Al–4V , 2006 .