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Article

Study on the Tribological Behavior of Laser Surface Texturing on Silicon Nitride Ceramic Under Water Lubrication

by
Hong-Jian Wang
1,2,*,
Jing-De Huang
1,
Bo Wang
1,
Yang Zhang
1 and
Jin Wang
1
1
School of Intelligent Manufacturing and Aeronautics, Zhuhai College of Science and Technology, Zhuhai 519040, China
2
School of Electronic Engineering and Intelligentization, Dongguan University of Technology, Dongguan 523808, China
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Lubricants 2025, 13(1), 21; https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13010021
Submission received: 8 December 2024 / Revised: 4 January 2025 / Accepted: 6 January 2025 / Published: 8 January 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Anti-wear Lubricating Materials)
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Abstract

:
The tribological behavior of silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramic with textured patterns under water lubrication was investigated in this paper. Different textured patterns were fabricated using laser surface texturing (LST). Surface wettability was characterized by contact angle. The original surface and textured Si3N4 ceramic with triangular patterns presented as hydrophobic. However, the textured Si3N4 ceramic with hexagonal patterns presented as hydrophilic. Surface wettability and textured patterns were important factors affecting the friction performance of the Si3N4 ceramic. Our results indicated that symmetrical textured patterns were more beneficial for decreasing the coefficient of friction (COF) at lower reciprocating frequencies. In contrast, better surface wettability played a more important role in reducing the COF at higher reciprocating frequencies. The most severe damage observed on the untextured Si3N4 ceramic led to a higher wear rate. The symmetrical structure of hexagonal patterns was more conducive to decreasing the wear rate than triangular patterns. However, the Si3N4 ceramic with triangular patterns was more suitable for use at high-speed frictions due to better lubrication. The textured patterns had the function of storing lubricants and capturing and cutting debris. Thus, friction performance was improved by introducing textured patterns onto the surface of the Si3N4 ceramic. The friction and wear mechanisms are also discussed in this study.

1. Introduction

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramic is widely used in the engineering fields of aerospace, electronics, and biomedicine due to its high hardness, high strength, and good resistance to high temperatures and chemical corrosion [1,2,3,4,5]. As an important structural material, the friction performance of the Si3N4 ceramic is directly related to the service life of components. In practical applications, the failure of structural components is determined by the wear of materials to a great extent [6,7,8]. Improvement of the wear resistance of materials is crucial for enhancing the reliability of structural components. For the Si3N4 ceramic, the commonly used methods to enhance its friction performance are phase control [9] and hard coating [10]. However, these approaches are limited by material compatibility and are time consuming. In consideration of wear occurring through surface contact, the tribological behavior of materials is mainly influenced by their surface structure. The introduction of patterns via laser surface texturing (LST) has been proven to be an effective way of improving the surface properties of materials [11]. LST has great potential in enhancing the friction performance of the Si3N4 ceramic [12].
The tribological behavior of ceramic materials in both dry and wet friction environments is affected by LST. Xing et al. [13] investigated the tribological characteristics of the Si3N4/TiC ceramic after LST under dry friction. Their results indicated that the friction state of materials changed with the different patterns. The material surface with wavy patterns exhibited better wear resistance than that with linear patterns. Wang et al. [14] studied the effects of different patterns on the friction performance of the Si3N4 ceramic under dry friction. It was found that the textured surface presented better wear resistance. The advantages were more significant at higher loading force. Yan et al. [15] applied dimple patterns on the Si3N4 ceramic using LST. Friction testing revealed that the improvement in tribological properties through liquid lubrication was not always positive. This phenomenon is closely related to the wettability of the contact surface, especially in wet friction environments. Lubricants are crucial for improving friction performance, including in metallic materials. Koszela et al. [16] found that wear intensity increased at a much higher oil pocket area ratio as a result of an increase in unitary pressure. Oil pockets with a spherical shape were effective at improving the wear resistance of bronze under mineral oil lubrication [17]. Further studies indicated that the supply of lubricants was affected by the shape of oil pockets, with materials exhibiting different tribological behavior [18,19]. For oil pockets with a circular shape, a high coefficient of friction (COF) was obtained at high density. This was the opposite for oil pockets with a sandglass shape. The motion of lubricants during the friction process was not considered in dry friction.
Although LST is an effective approach to improving the surface wettability of ceramic materials, current studies still focus on friction performance relatively independent of surface wettability. Jing et al. [20] increased the hydrophobicity of the Al2O3 ceramic through LST and obtained a more stable friction state in a lubricant-free environment. Ji et al. [21] applied LST to enhance the hydrophilicity of the ZrO2 ceramic. Their results showed that the surface wettability and friction properties could be balanced by the appropriate design of patterns. Xu et al. [22] studied the effects of textured patterns on the surface wettability of the ZrO2 ceramic. Their results indicated that the COF decreased on the patterned surface in both dry and lubrication environments. There are few reports on the friction performance of the textured surface of ceramic materials from the perspective of surface wettability. A similar situation also exists in the studies on the tribological behavior of the Si3N4 ceramic using LST. Yamakiri et al. [23] investigated the effects of pit patterns on the COF of the Si3N4 ceramic under water lubrication. Surface wettability was not considered in this study. Yang et al. [24] conducted a study on the change in wettability of the Si3N4 ceramic after LST and found that the gradient wettability was conducive to decreasing the COF. Analysis of the effect of surface wettability differences on the friction performance of the Si3N4 ceramic in lubricants was not performed. It is worth mentioning that the laser-textured patterns on the Si3N4 ceramic are mainly dimples [15,23,24].
In recent years, studies have indicated that biomimetic interfaces can effectively improve the friction performance of materials in wet friction [25,26,27]. However, the influences of bionic patterns on the tribological properties of Si3N4 ceramic under the lubrication environment have not been reported yet. In this paper, different bionic patterns were fabricated on Si3N4 ceramic by LST. The surface wettability was measured and effect on tribological behavior was studied. The changes of COF and wear rate with different textured patterns were analyzed. The friction and wear mechanisms were also discussed. This work provides a reference for improving the friction performance of materials in lubrication environments through wettability control.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1. Materials

The tested material was Si3N4 ceramic (Shenzhen Hard Precision Ceramic Co., Ltd., Shenzhen, China) with dimensions of 15 mm × 20 mm × 5 mm. The grain size of the Si3N4 ceramic was about 3 μm. The ethanol (purity ≥ 99.7%, Tianjin Fuyu Chemical Co., Ltd., Tianjin, China) was used to clean the samples after LST. The YG6 cemented carbide (WC) ball was used as the frictional pair. The diameter and hardness of the WC ball were 6 mm and 90 HRA, respectively. The water lubrication was produced using a liquid purification system (Unique-R30, RSJ Scientific Instruments, Xiamen, China).

2.2. LST of Different Patterns on Si3N4 Ceramic

As shown in Figure 1, patterns of LST were triangles (Figure 1a) and hexagons (Figure 1b). Each pattern was surrounded by a rectangle with same area. Before LST, the surface of Si3N4 ceramic was mirror-polished. LST was conducted using a picosecond laser (SLCU-11075I, Dongguan Strong Laser Advanced Equipment Co., Ltd., Dongguan, China) with a pulse width of 10 ps and wavelength of 1064 nm. The focus spot on the Si3N4 surface was 17 μm. The LST parameters were set as laser power of 9 W, repetition frequency of 100 kHz, scanning speed of 200 mm/s, and scanning times of 20. Si3N4 samples were ultrasonically cleaned in alcohol for 20 min before and after LST. The tested materials with original and LST surfaces were abbreviated as UP (un-textured patterns), TP (triangular patterns), and HP (hexagonal patterns).

2.3. Friction Test

The friction test was performed on the reciprocating friction machine (MDW-02, Jinan Yihua Tribology Testing Technology Co., Ltd., Jinan, China) under water lubrication. The reciprocating frequency was set as 0.5 Hz, 1.5 Hz, and 2.5 Hz for each type of pattern. The loading force was 10 N at the sliding distance of 8 mm and the sliding time was 30 min. The wear rate of the frictional pair can be calculated by the following formula:
W = V/FL
where V is the wear volume of the WC ball (mm3), F is the loading force (N), and L is the sliding distance (m). The wear rate of the WC ball corresponding to UP, TP, and HP are denoted as WU, WT, and WH, respectively.

2.4. Measurement and Characterization

As shown in Figure 2, the transverse profile of textured patterns after LST was examined using an optical microscope (DSX510, Olympus, Tokyo, Japan). It can be observed that the depth of the textured pattern was about 50 μm. The contact angle (CA) on the Si3N4 ceramic was measured using a wettability testing system (SDC-350H, Shengding Precision Instrument, Dongguan, China), using the sessile drop method with 5 μL water. The surface morphology of the samples was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM, Verios G4 UC, Thermo Scientific, Waltham, MA, USA). The elemental compositions were detected by energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) equipped with SEM.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Surface Wettability of the Si3N4 Ceramic Before and After LST

Figure 3 shows the wetting state and CA of the Si3N4 ceramic. For the untextured sample (Figure 3a), the CA of the water droplet on the surface of the material was 92.53 ± 1.67°. This value meant that the original surface of the Si3N4 ceramic was hydrophobic. The surface wettability of the material changed with different patterns. It can be observed that water droplets spread out on the surface of the TP, and the CA was 52.86 ± 2.55° (Figure 3b). The surface wettability changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. LST was beneficial for enhancing the surface wettability of the Si3N4 ceramic, but it was not applicable to all textured patterns. When LST was applied with HP, the surface of the Si3N4 ceramic returned to hydrophobic with a CA of 90.77 ± 1.98° (Figure 3c). The change in surface wettability of the material was mainly caused by the LST of textured patterns, which altered the contact characteristics of water droplets. It differed from the control of surface wettability by changing the chemical composition of the material [28]. The diversified patterns led to a significant difference in surface wettability between TP and HP. HP was more conducive to trapping air in textured patterns and improving hydrophobicity due to its better geometric symmetry than TP. In addition, the area of the island on HP was larger than that of TP, resulting in the closer CA to UP. The friction performance of the materials was obviously affected by surface wettability. These contents were analyzed and are discussed in the following section.

3.2. COF of the Si3N4 Ceramic with Different Textured Patterns

Figure 4 shows the COF of the Si3N4 ceramic with different textured patterns as a function of sliding time. The results indicate that textured patterns and reciprocating frequency both have significant impacts on the variation in COF. At the reciprocating frequency of 0.5 Hz (Figure 4a), the COF of UP increased obviously. In contrast, the COF of TP and HP was more stable. Under water lubrication, the Si3N4 ceramic after LST contained more lubricants in the textured patterns led to differences in COF stability between the textured and untextured samples. Obviously, textured patterns were beneficial for improving the stability of the COF. It was worth noting that the COF of TP and HP was higher than that of UP. This phenomenon may be caused by the discontinuous contact on the textured surface. When the reciprocating frequency increased to 1.5 Hz (Figure 4b), the COF of UP was higher than TP and HP. The effect of discontinuous contact on the increase in the COF on textured surfaces was weakened at the higher reciprocating frequency. In this condition, the friction process of the textured surface was more inclined toward continuous contact. Combined with the storage of more lubricants, the COF of samples with textured patterns was significantly decreased. The effects of textured patterns on the COF varied under different reciprocating frequencies. The COF of TP was higher than that of HP at the reciprocating frequency of 0.5 Hz and 1.5 Hz. However, the situation reversed as the reciprocating frequency increased to 2.5 Hz (Figure 4c). It can be observed that the COF of TP was lower and fluctuated slightly more than that of UP and HP. These results may be caused by differences in the textured patterns and surface wettability of the samples. As mentioned before, TP presented better hydrophilicity, so the COF of TP was the lowest as a result of better lubrication in a water environment. Different from the dry friction environment without lubrication, the friction process was affected by the oscillation of water lubrication generated by the reciprocating motion of the frictional pair. The oscillation of water was more intense at a higher reciprocating frequency; at this time, TP with better hydrophilicity exhibited the advantage of reducing friction. That is to say, the lubricating effect of water was more pronounced during the frictional process of TP than UP and HP. The plot of the COF curve presented obvious peaks and valleys at the reciprocating frequency of 2.5 Hz. This phenomenon was not notable at the lower reciprocating frequencies of 0.5 Hz and 1.5 Hz. In other words, COF exhibited more intense fluctuations as the reciprocating frequency increased. Even under dry friction, similar situations also existed in reciprocating friction [29]. The reciprocating frequency is the number of times frictional pairs reciprocate on the surface of the sample per unit of time. Under water lubrication, the oscillation in lubricant became more obvious as the reciprocating frequency increased and led to a change in the COF curve. In this case, the COF of materials with better hydrophilicity fluctuated relatively less. Therefore, the COF of TP was more stable at higher reciprocating frequencies.
Figure 5 shows the COF of the Si3N4 ceramic under different reciprocating frequencies. The results indicated that the COF of UP increased obviously with the increase in reciprocating frequency. This situation can also be observed in the reciprocating friction of bulk metallic glass [30] and alumina ceramic [31]. The COF of samples with textured patterns presented a narrower range of variation. This meant that LST could effectively reduce the impact of changes in testing conditions on the COF. For TP and HP, the COF of TP was more stable than that of HP with the variation in reciprocating frequency. This was closely related to the better hydrophilicity of the TP samples. As mentioned before, the surface wettability of UP and HP was similar. However, the change in the COF between UP and HP was different. The COF of HP decreased slightly and then significantly increased in comparison with the continuous increase in the COF of UP. Although the CA between UP and HP was close, HP containing textured patterns presented advantages over UP in improving surface wettability. The differences in textured patterns and surface wettability both affected the friction process of TP and HP. At lower reciprocating frequencies, the COF was mainly influenced by the force distribution. The COF of HP was lower than that of TP as a result of the more uniform force distribution [14]. Surface wettability had a greater impact on the COF of textured samples at higher reciprocating frequencies. Therefore, TP might be more suitable for servicing in lubrication environments.

3.3. Wear Morphology of the Si3N4 Ceramic with Different Textured Patterns

Figure 6 shows the SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 0.5 Hz. It can be observed that there were significant differences in the wear morphology between samples with untextured (Figure 6a) and textured patterns (Figure 6b,c). Obvious surface damage is present on the surface of UP (Figure 6d). Direct contact of the frictional pair resulted in the appearance of ploughs and cracks on the wear trace of the Si3N4 ceramic. Although reciprocating friction was conducted under water lubrication, peeling still appeared on the surface of UP and formed debris near the damage area. The phenomenon was improved by introducing textured patterns on the Si3N4 ceramic. Surface damage on the surface of TP and HP was evidently greatly reduced. Only ploughs and debris were found on the surface of TP, and there was no peeling and cracks (Figure 6e). The situation was similar for HP and TP. In addition to ploughs and debris, cracks were present on the surface of HP (Figure 6f). This can be attributed to the poorer surface wettability of HP than that of TP, resulting in weaker lubrication in wet friction environments.
Figure 7 shows the SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 1.5 Hz. Significant damage can still be observed on the wear surface of UP due to the lack of storage lubricant by textured patterns (Figure 7a,d). Among the textured and untextured samples, TP presented the best surface wettability. As the reciprocating frequency increased, more frequent oscillation of water was beneficial in reducing the adhesion of debris, thereby making the wear surface cleaner (Figure 7b,e). This effect also applied to HP (Figure 7c). In comparison with lower reciprocating frequencies, the wear surface of HP exhibited more severe damage at higher reciprocating frequencies. That is to say, the lubrication film was insufficient in protecting the material’s surface [32,33]. This was mainly caused by differences in surface wettability between TP and HP. The hydrophobic surface of HP led to a lack of lubrication on the material’s surface under higher reciprocating frequencies, resulting in peeling on the wear track (Figure 7f). This was not seen at lower reciprocating frequencies.
The SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 2.5 Hz is shown in Figure 8. For UP without textured patterns, wear morphology was not affected obviously by increasing the reciprocating frequency (Figure 8a,d). In contrast, only ploughs were found on the surface of TP (Figure 8b,e). The debris was washed away from the wear surface by water. Under these testing conditions, peeling and cracks were not observed on HP (Figure 8c,f). There were ploughs and debris on the wear track of HP. This indicated that surface damage on HP was weakened. The higher reciprocating frequency meant faster frictional speed; under this condition, the crushing effect from the frictional pair was more intense. It accelerated the removal of debris from the wear surface together with the flushing effect of the lubricant. These are characteristics in the frictional process under liquid lubrication and are not usually present under solid lubrication [34]. Figure 9 shows the EDS analysis of HP at the reciprocating frequency of 2.5 Hz. Area A was located at the position of debris on the wear track (Figure 9a). The elemental contents indicated that area A was mainly composed of Si, N, and O elements (Figure 9b). The Si and N elements came from the Si3N4 ceramic matrix. LST was performed in an air environment, so the O element was introduced through chemical reactions [35]. Both the Si3N4 ceramic and frictional pair were removed during the frictional process, resulting in the formation of debris. Thus, W, C, and Fe elements were detected in the debris. In comparison with area A, area B was located at the wear track without debris. The contents of Si and N elements increased and the content of the O element decreased significantly (Figure 9c). The main reason for this was the fact that this location was mainly the Si3N4 ceramic and there was no debris. Under this condition, the contents of W, C, and Fe elements from the frictional pair decreased.

3.4. Wear Rate of the Si3N4 Ceramic with Different Textured Patterns

Figure 10 shows the wear rate of the WC ball under different reciprocating frequencies. It can be observed that the WU decreased with the increase in reciprocating frequency. However, the WT and WH gradually increased. These results meant that the wear rate of the textured and untextured samples was closer as the reciprocating frequency increased. The main reason might be that the frictional pair that reciprocated on the textured surface was closer to a continuous surface at a higher speed. At the same time, the effect of water lubrication also weakened with the increase in reciprocating frequency. Therefore, the difference in wear rate was mainly reflected at lower reciprocating frequencies. As mentioned before, the frictional process is influenced by textured patterns and surface wettability. Unlike the change trend of the COF, for the wear rate, the WU was always higher than the WT and WH. The textured patterns play a major role in the wear rate. The results also indicated that the wear rate was effectively reduced by the LST of the textured patterns. Moreover, the structural symmetry and more uniform distribution of force on the surface of HP were more conducive to decreasing the wear rate than that of TP [14]. Although water had a better lubricating effect on the hydrophilic surface, it was mainly reflected in the change in the COF. For wear rate, the structural characteristics of textured patterns still played the decisive role.

3.5. Friction and Wear Mechanisms of the Si3N4 Ceramic with Different Textured Patterns

Figure 11 shows a schematic diagram of water droplet sliding on the Si3N4 ceramic. For a hydrophobic surface, the contact area of water droplets on the surface of the material is relatively smaller (Figure 11a). The liquid moves toward the sliding direction as a whole, and at the same time, the front part of the water droplet oscillates. In contrast, the CA of the water droplet on the hydrophilic surface is lower than on the hydrophobic surface (Figure 11b). This indicates that liquid presents better spreading and adherence properties on the surface of the material [36]. Although water droplets tend to move in the sliding direction, they adhere to the surface of the material. Thus, hydrophilic surfaces exhibit better lubrication during the frictional process. Figure 12 shows a schematic diagram of the frictional process on the surface of the Si3N4 ceramic. At the initial stage, more lubricants are stored in the textured patterns on the Si3N4 ceramic after LST (Figure 12b) compared to the untextured sample (Figure 12a). There are significant differences at the friction stage of the samples with different textured patterns. For UP, the generated debris continuously rolls and accumulates in the sliding direction during the crushing of the frictional pair and Si3N4 ceramic (Figure 12c). The severe wear of materials is mainly caused by constant contact between debris and the working surface. Moreover, the surface damage is exacerbated by hydrophobic characteristics. The situation is improved on the surface of samples containing textured patterns. Textured patterns not only have the function of storing lubricants but also capturing and cutting debris [37,38]. Therefore, the debris on the surface of TP and HP is finer than that on the surface of UP. In consideration of the difference in surface wettability, the water lubrication on TP (Figure 12d) is better than on HP (Figure 12e). Therefore, the surface of TP is cleaner than HP. It is worth mentioning that a lower COF could be obtained at higher reciprocating frequencies due to the better surface wettability. Although the CA of UP and HP is close, the lack of textured patterns results in the wear rate of UP being higher than that of HP. In addition to the effects of capturing and cutting on debris, water lubrication can be supplied by textured patterns when the lubrication on the hydrophobic surface is insufficient. This is another reason why the surface wettability is similar and the surface with textured patterns presents better wear resistance.

4. Conclusions

In the present study, LST of triangular and hexagonal patterns was conducted on the Si3N4 ceramic. Tribological behavior was studied from the perspective of surface wettability. The COF, surface morphology, and wear rate of samples with different textured patterns were discussed. The friction and wear mechanisms were investigated. The conclusions are listed as follows:
  • Surface wettability was significantly affected by textured patterns. The original surface of the Si3N4 ceramic was hydrophobic. However, the surface wettability was effectively improved by introducing triangular patterns. The surface of the Si3N4 ceramic changed from hydrophobic to hydrophilic. TP exhibited better surface wettability. In contrast, the surface containing hexagonal patterns was still hydrophobic, and the CA of HP was close to UP.
  • The COF of UP continued to increase with the increase in reciprocating frequency. The COF of TP was more stable compared to that of UP and HP. The factors affecting COF were textured patterns and surface wettability. At lower reciprocating frequencies, the surface structure had a significant impact on the COF. As the reciprocating frequency increased, the influence of surface wettability on the COF increased. In this condition, hydrophilic surfaces exhibited better lubrication, so the COF was lower.
  • The surface of UP suffered the most severe damage as a result of the lack of textured patterns and poor surface wettability. Finer debris can be observed on the surface of TP and HP. This was mainly due to the capturing and cutting effects of textured patterns. The wear rate of the WU was higher than that of the WT and WH. The difference decreased with the increase in reciprocating frequency. The WH was smaller than the WT, which could be attributed to the more symmetrical structure and more uniform distribution of force on the surface of HP.
  • Lubricant could be stored in textured patterns. Better surface wettability meant that the lubricant more easily adhered to the surface of samples during reciprocating friction. Thus, the COF of the Si3N4 ceramic with better surface wettability was lower at higher reciprocation frequencies. In addition, the stored lubricant was beneficial in reducing surface damage caused by insufficient lubrication. The capturing and cutting effects of textured patterns were conducive to obtaining finer debris, thereby decreasing the wear of materials.
Further research will focus on the design and processing technology of hybrid textured patterns. Investigations on the differences in the surface wettability of different droplet media and their frictional properties in corresponding lubrication environments are also future directions.

Author Contributions

Conceptualization and methodology, H.-J.W.; validation and investigation, B.W., Y.Z. and J.W.; writing—original draft preparation, H.-J.W.; writing—review and editing, H.-J.W. and J.-D.H.; funding acquisition, H.-J.W. and J.-D.H. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Funding

This research was funded by Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation, grant number 2024A1515011064; Key Special Foundation of Universities in Guangdong Province, grant number 2024ZDZX3003; Zhuhai Basic and Applied Basic Research Project, grant number 2320004002337.

Data Availability Statement

The original contributions presented in this study are included in the article. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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Figure 1. The schematic diagram of different patterns on Si3N4 ceramic surface: (a) triangles and (b) hexagons.
Figure 1. The schematic diagram of different patterns on Si3N4 ceramic surface: (a) triangles and (b) hexagons.
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Figure 2. The optical image (a) and transverse profile (b) of textured patterns after LST.
Figure 2. The optical image (a) and transverse profile (b) of textured patterns after LST.
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Figure 3. The wetting state and CA of the Si3N4 ceramic: (a) UP, (b) TP, and (c) HP.
Figure 3. The wetting state and CA of the Si3N4 ceramic: (a) UP, (b) TP, and (c) HP.
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Figure 4. COF of the Si3N4 ceramic with different textured patterns as a function of sliding time: (a) 0.5 Hz, (b) 1.5 Hz and (c) 2.5 Hz.
Figure 4. COF of the Si3N4 ceramic with different textured patterns as a function of sliding time: (a) 0.5 Hz, (b) 1.5 Hz and (c) 2.5 Hz.
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Figure 5. COF of the Si3N4 ceramic under different reciprocating frequencies.
Figure 5. COF of the Si3N4 ceramic under different reciprocating frequencies.
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Figure 6. SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 0.5 Hz: (a) UP; (b) TP; (c) HP; (d–f) are enlarged views of UP, TP, and HP, respectively.
Figure 6. SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 0.5 Hz: (a) UP; (b) TP; (c) HP; (d–f) are enlarged views of UP, TP, and HP, respectively.
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Figure 7. SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 1.5 Hz: (a) UP; (b) TP; (c) HP; (d–f) are enlarged views of UP, TP, and HP, respectively.
Figure 7. SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 1.5 Hz: (a) UP; (b) TP; (c) HP; (d–f) are enlarged views of UP, TP, and HP, respectively.
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Figure 8. SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 2.5 Hz: (a) UP; (b) TP; (c) HP; (d–f) are enlarged views of UP, TP, and HP, respectively.
Figure 8. SEM of the wear morphology of the Si3N4 ceramic at the reciprocating frequency of 2.5 Hz: (a) UP; (b) TP; (c) HP; (d–f) are enlarged views of UP, TP, and HP, respectively.
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Figure 9. EDS analysis from HP at the reciprocating frequency of 2.5 Hz: (a) SEM of debris on the wear track, and (b) EDS at area A and (c) EDS at area B in (a), respectively.
Figure 9. EDS analysis from HP at the reciprocating frequency of 2.5 Hz: (a) SEM of debris on the wear track, and (b) EDS at area A and (c) EDS at area B in (a), respectively.
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Figure 10. The wear rate of the WC ball under different reciprocating frequencies.
Figure 10. The wear rate of the WC ball under different reciprocating frequencies.
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Figure 11. Schematic diagram of a water droplet sliding on the Si3N4 ceramic: (a) hydrophobic surface and (b) hydrophilic surface.
Figure 11. Schematic diagram of a water droplet sliding on the Si3N4 ceramic: (a) hydrophobic surface and (b) hydrophilic surface.
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Figure 12. Schematic diagram of the frictional process on the surface of the Si3N4 ceramic: initial stage on the untextured (a) and textured surfaces and (b) frictional stage of UP (c), TP (d), and HP (e).
Figure 12. Schematic diagram of the frictional process on the surface of the Si3N4 ceramic: initial stage on the untextured (a) and textured surfaces and (b) frictional stage of UP (c), TP (d), and HP (e).
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MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, H.-J.; Huang, J.-D.; Wang, B.; Zhang, Y.; Wang, J. Study on the Tribological Behavior of Laser Surface Texturing on Silicon Nitride Ceramic Under Water Lubrication. Lubricants 2025, 13, 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13010021

AMA Style

Wang H-J, Huang J-D, Wang B, Zhang Y, Wang J. Study on the Tribological Behavior of Laser Surface Texturing on Silicon Nitride Ceramic Under Water Lubrication. Lubricants. 2025; 13(1):21. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13010021

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Hong-Jian, Jing-De Huang, Bo Wang, Yang Zhang, and Jin Wang. 2025. "Study on the Tribological Behavior of Laser Surface Texturing on Silicon Nitride Ceramic Under Water Lubrication" Lubricants 13, no. 1: 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13010021

APA Style

Wang, H.-J., Huang, J.-D., Wang, B., Zhang, Y., & Wang, J. (2025). Study on the Tribological Behavior of Laser Surface Texturing on Silicon Nitride Ceramic Under Water Lubrication. Lubricants, 13(1), 21. https://doi.org/10.3390/lubricants13010021

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