Effect of different laser texturing patterns on rolling contact surface and its tribological & fatigue life behavior on 100Cr6 bearing steel

The effects of laser texturing technology on the tribological performance of tapered roller bearings in terms of fatigue life, friction, and wear are studied for the first time. The influence of diameter, height and density of the circular-shaped dimples is thoroughly analyzed, first on flat samples, and the most encouraging results are upscaled to components. This research demonstrates the advantages that surface texturing can bring to the most demanding applications involving rolling surfaces under lubrication regime. The experiments show a torque reduction up to 18% and very promising results in fatigue life tests.