Energy Efficient Manufacturing

Chapter 7Surface Treatment and Tribological Considerations

S.R. Schmid¹ and J. Jeswiet^2*

¹University of Notre Dame, IN, USA

²Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

^*Corresponding author: [e-mail]

Abstract

This chapter begins with a classification and description of the major surface treatment and coating processes (heat treatment and surface hardening, coating, texturing, and surface stress-inducing operations). Heat treatment and surface hardening operations include furnace methods as well as those using laser or electron beams to locally affect the microstructure. A wide variety of coating operations are available, but the chapter emphasizes those processes that lead to performance improvement (not merely aesthetic changes) such as thermal spraying, hard facing, physical and chemical vapor deposition, as well as certain electroplating operations. Texturing includes high-energy beams (laser, electron beam and electrical discharge approaches) as well as texturing through surface replication or machining. Stress-inducing operations include peening, burnishing, and explosive hardening. Current practices are summarized along with typical applications of each approach, and process models for energy needs are summarized. Energy requirements are presented for each process class, and areas for efficiency improvement identified. The importance of tribology and its position in a full life-cycle analysis is outlined. The chapter closes with an investigation of emerging ...