Laser surface texturing and characterization of austenitic stainless steel for the improvement of its surface properties

Laser surface texturing (LST) is widely explored for modifying the surface topography of various materials. In this study, a detailed investigation of laser textured surfaces produced on austenitic stainless steel (AISI 304) was carried out. Three different textures (square, parallel, perpendicular) were produced by a Ti sapphire laser. The processed surfaces were characterized by surface morphology, phase structure, microhardness, surface roughness, and wettability. A ball-on-disk tribometer was used to study the tribological performance of both untextured and textured samples. The experimental observations demonstrate that LST improves both surface wettability and surface roughness. Average surface roughness (Ra) was increased by 350% and the contact angle was reduced from 43° to 22°. The textured surfaces show a lower coefficient of friction and better wear resistance than the untextured surface. Out of the investigated patterns, the square textures exhibited a maximum reduction of 68% in the friction coefficient and a 50% lower wear rate.