Available online at www.sciencedirect.

com

ScienceDirect
Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 662 667

18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining (ISEM XVIII)

Friction characteristics of textured surface created by electrical discharge

machining under lubrication
Keishi Yamaguchi*, Yasuhiro Takada, Yuki Tsukuda, Minoru Ota, Kai Egashira
and Tatsuro Morita
Kyoto Institute of Technology, Matsugasaki-goshokaidocho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +81-75-724-7378; fax: +81-75-724-7300. E-mail address: ykaemgch@kit.ac.jp

Abstract

Whirling Electrical Discharge Texturing (WEDT) was developed as a method of creating microstructures by a single-pulse discharge on the
inner surface of a cylinder. In a previous study, a textured surface was successfully created on the inner surface of a cylinder, and it was
clarified that the surface characteristics of the textured surface such as the texture-area ratio can be controlled by adjusting the texturing
conditions. In this study, a new WEDT device was developed to create microstructures on the surface of a disc workpiece for the ball-on-disc
or the pin-on-disc friction test. This paper describes texturing characteristics such as the texture-area ratio, crater depth and crater diameter on a
disc workpiece surface and friction characteristics measured by the pin-on-disc friction test. From the results of texturing experiments, it was
confirmed that the texture-area ratio can be controlled by adjusting the feed speed of the workpiece, and the diameter and depth of a crater do
not depend on the feed speed. In the pin-on-disc friction test, the tip of a pin has a spherical shape with large spherical radius to prevent partial
contact. As a result, the friction coefficients under the boundary lubrication condition and the mixed lubrication condition near the boundary
lubrication condition were decreased by WEDT. It was confirmed that the textured surface created by WEDT is effective for reducing friction
coefficient and an optimal texture-area ratio exists depending on the lubrication conditions.
2016 The Authors.
Published by Published by Elsevier
Elsevier B.V. B.V.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of 18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining (ISEM
Peer-review
XVIII). under responsibility of the organizing committee of 18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining
(ISEM XVIII)
Keywords: whirling electrical discharge texturing; textured surface; microstructure; lubrication; friction coefficient.

1. Introduction Discharge Texturing (WEDT) as a method of creating

Recently, the development of new energy resources and
new energy conservation technologies has been
internationally required from the environmental viewpoint.
The improvement of energy efficiency is one of the energy
conservation technologies. It is considered that friction
reduction is necessary to improve energy efficiency [1,2].
Microstructuring on the surface of a sliding part is expected to
decrease friction coefficient and to maintain good lubricant
conditions. These are caused by craters acting as oil reservoirs,
trapping sites of wear debris, and increasing the fluid dynamic
effect [1-7]. The general methods of microstructuring on a
surface include cutting or laser beam machining. However, it
is difficult to apply these methods to the inner surface of small
cylindrical parts, particularly high-hardness materials.
Therefore, the authors developed Whirling Electrical
microstructures that are constructed of craters by a single-
pulse discharge on the inner surface of small cylindrical parts
[8-10]. WEDT is combined electrical discharge texturing and
whirling phenomenon. The schematic diagram of WEDT is
shown in Fig. 1. In this method, the microstructures can easily
be created on the inner surface of a small cylinder because the
gap distance between the tool electrode and the workpiece
surface is adjusted by the whirling displacement. The results
of a previous study showed that the microstructures on the
inner surface of a small cylinder can be obtained by WEDT.
Moreover, it is clarified that the characteristics of a textured
surface, such as the texture-area ratio, the removal volume of
craters, crater depth and crater diameter, can be controlled by
adjusting the texturing conditions [8-10]. However, it is
difficult to measure the friction characteristics of a cylindrical
workpiece. Thus, a new WEDT device was developed to

2212-8271 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of 18th CIRP Conference on Electro Physical and Chemical Machining (ISEM XVIII)
doi:10.1016/j.procir.2016.02.298
 Keishi Yamaguchi et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 662 667 663

Fig. 1. Schematic diagram of WEDT [8-10].

create microstructures on the surface of a disc workpiece for

the ball-on-disc or the pin-on-disc friction test. This paper
describes the texturing characteristics on the disc workpiece
and the friction characteristics measured by the pin-on-disc Fig. 2. Schematic diagram of WEDT device for disc workpiece.
friction test.

2. WEDT device for disc workpiece

The schematic diagram and photographs of the new WEDT

device for disc workpiece are shown in Figs. 2 and 3,
respectively. This device consists of a tool electrode, a
whirling shaft, a spindle motor, a rotating head, a work tank, a
power supply of the discharge circuit, an X-table and a Z-
table. The tool electrode was made of tungsten wire of
0.3 mm diameter and 0.7 mm length, which was inserted in
the tool holder and assembled at the end of the whirling shaft.
The whirling shaft was rotated by the spindle motor, and the
whirling displacement of the tool electrode with the tool
holder follows. The disc workpiece was held on the rotating
head and assembled at the work tank. The work tank was Fig. 3. Photographs of WEDT device and disc workpiece.
positioned by the X-table and the Z-table. The gap distance
between the workpiece surface and the tool electrode is
adjusted by controlling the rotational speed of the whirling Table 1. Texturing conditions of WEDT for disc workpiece.
shaft. Therefore, the gap distance can be controlled easily Power supply [V] 100
although roughly. Discharge occurs between the workpiece Discharge current [A] 20
surface and the tool electrode by applying a voltage to the tool
Pulse frequency [kHz] 20
electrode, and the microstructures are created on the
workpiece surface by rotating the spindle motor and the Pulse duration [s] 5
rotating head as same time at the applying a voltage. Tool electrode 1000
Rotational speed [min-1]
Workpiece 200
3. Characteristics of textured disc workpiece surface
Feed speed f [mm/s] 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1

First of all, the authors conducted WEDT experiments to

create microstructures on a disc workpiece surface and
measured the characteristics of the textured surface. If the
shape of the workpiece is cylindrical, the tip of the tool
electrode and the workpiece surface are consistently in
contact or very close. On the other hand, in the disc
workpiece, the tip of the tool electrode repeatedly moves
closer and away from the workpiece surface. Thus, there is a
possibility that the surface characteristics differ from those of
the cylindrical workpiece. Therefore, the relationship between
the feed speed in the Z-direction and the surface
characteristics of the disc workpiece was investigated. Table 1
shows the texturing conditions of WEDT experiments for a
disc workpiece. The discharge current, pulse frequency and
pulse duration were set to 20 A, 20 kHz and 5 s, respectively.
The tool electrode and the workpiece were rotated at 1000 and
200 min-1, and the feed speed in the Z-direction was changed
from 0.01 mm/s to 0.1 mm/s. Figure 4 shows an example of
the 3D shape of the textured surface and a crater measured
using a scanning white light interferometer (NewView 8200,
Zygo Corporation). From this figure, it is found that
protrusions are generated around the crater. Therefore, the
664 Keishi Yamaguchi et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 662 667

1
A A'
0

Hight H m
A -1

A' -2

-3

-40 -20 0 20 40

(a) (b) Scan length L m

Fig. 4. 3D shape of textured surface and a crater: (a) Top view of textured surface; (b) Cross-sectional profile of a crater.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(e) (f) (g) (h)

Fig. 5. Optical microscopy images of textured surfaces: (a) Before lapping surface textured at f = 0.01 mm/s;
(b) Before lapping surface textured at f = 0.02 mm/s; (c) Before lapping surface textured at f = 0.05 mm/s;
(d) Before lapping surface textured at f = 0.1 mm/s; (e) Lapped surface textured at f = 0.01 mm/s; (f) Lapped surface textured at f = 0.02 mm/s;
(g) Lapped surface textured at f = 0.05 mm/s; (h) Lapped surface textured at f = 0.1 mm/s.

20 40
Texture-area ratio T.A.R. %

Before lapping
Total removal volume V

After lapping Before lapping

15 30 After lapping
Total crater area
T . A.R. [%] = 100
x103 m3

Measuremen t area
10 20

5 10

0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10 0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10
Feed speed f mm/sec Feed speed f mm/sec

Fig. 6. Relationship between feed speed and texture-area ratio. Fig. 7. Relationship between feed speed and total removal volume of craters.

lapping process using #6000 aluminum slurry and copper (STM6-LM, OLYMPUS CORPORATION). It is found that
lapping plate was carried out to remove the protrusions and to the number of craters increases with decreasing feed speed
improve the surface roughness of the workpiece surface. The because the number of discharges per unit area of the
lapping pressure and lapping time were set to 8.9 kPa and 60 s, workpiece surface increases with decreasing feed speed.
respectively. Moreover, craters can also be found on the lapped surface.
Figure 5 shows the textured surfaces before and after Figure 6 and 7 show the relationships of the texture-area ratio
lapping process observed using an optical microscope and the total removal volume of craters to the feed speed. The
 Keishi Yamaguchi et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 662 667
60
50
Crater diameter d m
40
30
20
Before lapping
10 After lapping
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10
Feed speed f mm/sec
Fig. 8. Relationship between feed speed and crater diameter.
texture-area ratio is defined as the total crater area divided by
the measurement area. The texture-area ratio decreases with
increasing feed speed and the total removal volume also
decreases with increasing feed speed. Thus, it is clarified that
these properties can be controlled by adjusting the feed speed,
although both the texture-area ratio and total removal volume
are slightly decreased by lapping. Figure 8 and 9 show the
relationships of the crater diameter and depth to the feed
speed. These parameters were the average of four arbitrarily
selected points. It is found that both the crater diameter and
depth are slightly decreased by lapping, similarly to the
texture-area ratio and removal volume. In contrast, these were
nearly independent of feed speed. It is considered that the
energy of a single discharge does not depend on the feed
speed; thus, the size of a crater generated by a single
discharge is almost constant. These results indicate the same
tendency of the surface characteristics of a cylindrical
665
3.5
3.0
Crater depth D m
2.5
2.0
1.5
1.0
Before lapping
0.5 After lapping
0 0.02 0.04 0.06 0.08 0.10
Feed speed f mm/sec
Fig. 9. Relationship between feed speed and crater depth.
workpiece although the number of discharges is obviously
less than that of the cylindrical workpiece, and the texture-
area ratio can be controlled by adjusting the feed speed.
Moreover, it is considered that the crater diameter and depth
can be controlled by adjusting the electrical conditions such as
discharge current.
4. Friction characteristics of workpiece surface
textured by WEDT
As discussed above, it is confirmed that the texture-area
ratio can be controlled by adjusting the feed speed in WEDT.
In this section, the friction characteristics of the textured
surface are described. The friction characteristics were
measured by the pin-on-disc friction test. Figure 10 shows a
schematic diagram of the pin-on-disc friction test and
photographs of the pin-on-disc friction tester. The normal load
can be controlled by changing the weight. Table 2 shows the
conditions of the friction test. The texture-area ratios of the
workpieces were 0, 1, 4, 8 and 12 %. The material of the pin
was SUJ2 (HRC 65), and the end of the pin has a spherical
shape with a 100 mm spherical radius to prevent partial
contact. A preconditioning run was conducted for 10 min, and
the measurement was conducted consecutively in the last
7DEOH&RQGLWLRQVRIIULFWLRQWHVWIRUWH[WXUHGVXUIDFHE\:('7
+DUGHQLQJVWHHO
:RUNSLHFHPDWHULDO
6&+5&
(a)
7H[WXUH-DUHDUDWLR>@ QRQ-WH[WXUHG
:RUNSLHFH
0HDQFUDWHUGLDPHWHU>P@ 
6XUIDFHURXJKQHVVRI

ZLWKRXWFUDWHUSDUW5D>P@
1RUPDOORDG>1@ 
3LQPDWHULDO 68-+5&
3LQGLDPHWHU>PP@ 
6SKHULFDOUDGLXVRIWLSRISLQ

>PP@
)ULFWLRQWHVW
6OLGLQJVSHHGYV>PV@ 

(b) 6OLGLQJWLPH>PLQ@ 
/XEULFDQW (QJLQHRLO:
Fig. 10. (a) Schematic diagram of pin-on-disc friction test;
2LOWHPSHUDWXUH>&@ 
(b) Photographs of the pin-on-disc friction tester.
+XPLGLW\ 5RRPKXPLGLW\
666 Keishi Yamaguchi et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 662 667

0.14
0.14 vs = 0.005 non-texturing
0.02 0.12 T.A.R. = 1 %
0.12

Friction coefficient
Friction coefficient
0.03 4%
0.3 0.10 8%
0.10
12 %
0.08
0.08
0.06 0.06

0.04 0.04

0.02 0.02

0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 10-8 10-7
Texture-area ratio T.A.R. % Bearing characteristics number

Fig. 11. Relationship between texture-area ratio and friction coefficient. Fig. 12. Relationship between bearing characteristics number and friction
coefficient.

10 min. Figure 11 shows the relationships between the
texture-area ratio and the friction coefficient. The friction
coefficients were average values measured in the last 10 min.
The friction coefficient of the textured surface decreases
compared with that of the non-textured surface at a low
sliding speed. However, the friction coefficient of the textured
surface at a high sliding speed is larger than that of the
non-textured surface depending on the condition. It is
considered that the craters particularly exert a strong effect as
oil reservoirs at a low sliding speed. On the other hand, the
effect of the microstructures is reduced at a high sliding speed
because the lubricant oil film becomes thick. The lubrication
mode is changed by changing the thickness of the lubricant oil
film. Under the fluid lubrication condition, the surfaces are
(a) (b)
separated by the lubricant oil film, and the friction coefficient
becomes low. The thickness of lubricant oil film decreases
with decreasing bearing characteristics number; then, the
friction coefficient increases rapidly because the peaks of the
roughness of both surfaces come into contact. This lubrication
mode is called mixed lubrication. If the bearing characteristics
number decreases even further, the friction coefficient
increases and reaches a saturation value because the solid
contact becomes a predominant factor. This state is boundary
lubrication [11]. Figure 12 shows the relationships between
the bearing characteristics number and the friction coefficient,
which is the Stribeck curve rearranged from Fig. 11. At the
highest bearing characteristics number shown in Fig. 12, the
friction coefficients of every texture-area ratio are very low.
(c) (d)

(e) (f) (g) (h)

(i) (j) (k) (l)

Fig. 13. Optical micrographs of workpiece surfaces after friction test;

(a) T.A.R. = 0 %, vs = 0.005 m/s; (b) T.A.R. = 0 %, vs = 0.02 m/s; (c) T.A.R. = 0 %, vs = 0.03 m/s; (d) T.A.R. = 0 %, vs = 0.3 m/s;
(e) T.A.R. = 1 %, vs = 0.005 m/s; (f) T.A.R. = 1 %, vs = 0.02 m/s; (g) T.A.R. = 1 %, vs = 0.03 m/s; (h) T.A.R. = 1 %, vs = 0.3 m/s;
(i) T.A.R. = 4 %, vs = 0.005 m/s; (j) T.A.R. = 4 %, vs = 0.02 m/s; (k) T.A.R. = 4 %, vs = 0.03 m/s; (l) T.A.R. = 4 %, vs = 0.3 m/s;
 Keishi Yamaguchi et al. / Procedia CIRP 42 (2016) 662 667
(m) (n)
(q) (r)
Fig. 13. Optical micrographs of workpiece surfaces after friction test;
(m) T.A.R. = 8 %, vs = 0.005 m/s; (n) T.A.R. = 8 %, vs = 0.02 m/s; (o) T.A.R. = 8 %, vs = 0.03 m/s; (p) T.A.R. = 8 %, vs = 0.3 m/s;
(q) T.A.R. = 12 %, vs = 0.005 m/s; (r) T.A.R. = 12 %, vs = 0.02 m/s; (s) T.A.R. = 12 %, vs = 0.03 m/s; (t) T.A.R. = 12 %, vs = 0.3 m/s.
The bearing characteristics number increased with increasing
sliding speed, so the lubrication mode at the sliding speed of
0.3 m/s can be estimated under the fluid lubrication condition,
and the lubrication mode at the sliding speed of less than
0.03 m/s can be estimated at near the mixed lubrication
condition. In addition, it is found that the effect of the
texturing becomes large under the boundary lubrication
condition and the mixed lubrication condition near the
boundary lubrication condition. Therefore, it was confirmed
that the textured surface created by WEDT is effective for
reducing friction coefficient and an optimal texture-area ratio
exists depending on the lubrication conditions. Figure 13
shows optical microscopy images of the workpiece surface
after the friction test. It is found that very few sliding marks
exist on the textured surface. It is shown by these pictures that
the microstructures created by WEDT effectively act to
improve the friction characteristics of sliding surfaces.
5. Conclusions
In this paper, the texturing characteristics of a disc
workpiece surface textured by WEDT and the friction
characteristics of the textured surface were described, and the
following conclusions were obtained.
(1) The texture-area ratio can be controlled by adjusting the
feed speed, and the crater depth and diameter are nearly
independent of the feed speed. These results indicate the
same tendency of a cylindrical workpiece. Therefore, the
crater diameter and depth can probably be controlled by
adjusting the electrical conditions such as discharge
current.
(2) The friction coefficient is reduced compared with that of
the non-textured surface in the cases when the sliding
speed is low. It is considered that the craters particularly
exert an effect as oil reservoirs at a low sliding speed.
(3) The effect of the texturing is large under the boundary
lubrication condition and the mixed lubrication condition
near the boundary condition. Therefore, it was confirmed
that the textured surface created by WEDT is effective
667
(o) (p)
(s) (t)
for reducing friction coefficient. Moreover, it was
clarified that there is an optimal texture-area ratio
depending on the lubrication conditions.
References
[1] Wakuda M., Yamauchi Y., Kanazaki S. and Yasuda Y.: Effect of surface
texturing on friction reduction between ceramic and steel materials under
lubricated sliding contact, Wear, Vol. 254 (2003), pp. 356363.
[2] Lertphokanont V., Ota M., Yasui H., Hamaoka T. and Yabunaka T.:
Development of Whirling Electrical Discharge Texturing on Inner
Surface of Small Hole, Journal of Advanced Mechanical Design,
Systems, and Manufacturing, Vol. 7, No. 4 (2013), pp. 763776.
[3] Uehara Y., Wakuda M., Yamauchi Y., Kanazaki S. and Sakaguchi S.:
Tribological properties of dimpled silicon nitride under oil lubrication,
Journal of the European Ceramic Society, Vol. 24 (2004), pp. 369373.
[4] Nakano M., Korenaga A., Korenaga A., Miyake K., Murakami T.,
Ando Y., Usami H. and Sasaki S.: Applying Micro-Texture to Cast Iron
Surfaces to Reduce the Friction Coefficient Under Lubricated Conditions,
Tribology Letters, Vol. 28 (2007), pp. 131137.
[5] Zhu D., Nanbu T., Ren N., Yasuda Y. and Wang Q. J.: Model-based
virtual surface texturing for concentrated conformal-contact lubrication,
Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part J: Journal
of Engineering Tribology, Vol. 224 (2010), pp. 685696.
[6] Li J., Xiong D., Dai J., Huang Z. and Tyagi R.: Effect of surface laser
texturing on friction properties of nickel-based composite, Tribology
International, Vol. 43 (2010), pp. 11931199.
[7] Amanov A., Pyun Y. S., Zhang B., Park J. H. and Nohava J.:
Preliminary Study on the Effect of Micro-Scale Dimple Size on Friction
and Wear under Oil-Lubricated Sliding Contact, Tribology Online,
Vol. 6, No. 7 (2011), pp. 284290.
[8] Lertphokanont V., Sato T., Ota M., Yamaguchi K. and Egashira K.:
Micro-structuring on Cylindrical Inner Surface using Whirling Electrical
Discharge Texturing, Advanced Materials Research, Vol. 565 (2012),
pp. 430435.
[9] Lertphokanont V., Sato T., Ota M., Yamaguchi K. and Egashira K.:
Surface Quality of Texturing Surface on Cylindrical Inner Surface using
Whirling Electrical Discharge Texturing, Advanced Materials Research,
Vol. 797 (2003), pp. 338343.
[10] Lertphokanont V., Oi M., Sato T., Ota M., Egashira K., Yamaguchi K.,
Yamada M. and Tomita Y.: Effect of Discharge Duration and Pulse
Frequency on Surface Characteristics Using Whirling Electrical
Discharge Texturing, International Journal of Automation Technology,
Vol. 8, No. 4 (2014), pp. 561568.
[11] Nakahara T.: Machine Elements and Tribology, JSME Mechanical
Engineers' Handbook, Design beta 4 (2005), pp. 160163.