Comparing Wettability and Frictional Performance of Laser Micro-machined Discrete and Continuous Textures

TiAl4V is used widely in aerospace and biomedical application due to its high specific strength and good bio-compatibility. Its poor tribological performance restricts usage for hip implant articulation. Various surface characteristics such as surface roughness and wettability affect the tribological behaviour of Ti6Al4V sliding. Surface texturing is the recent technique to modify the surface features and improve the wettability. This study aims to compare the wettability and coefficient of friction (CoF) of discrete and continuous texture under bio-lubricated condition. Dimple and crosshatch textures are fabricated using laser surface texturing (LST) technique. The geometrical parameters such as depth, pitch and area density have been kept the same. Wettability associated with both the textures are analysed by measuring surface contact angles using goniometer. Further, friction behaviour is evaluated for all the textured and non-textured surfaces under biological environment using reciprocating pin-on-disc tribometer. Results show a significant reduction in contact angle for crosshatch texture compared to dimple and non-textured surface. Also, both the texture reduced the friction by 24% compared to non-textured surface.