Study on laser prepared reinforcement unit distribution of large scale non-uniform hardness surface of gray cast iron against wear

Abstract By mimicking the ‘non-smooth structural unit’ of the dung beetle’s cuticle layer through laser, a large-scale striped surface structure with alternating hard and soft areas was fabricated on gray cast iron, which effectively enhanced various properties. This work investigated the impact of different distributions of the striped reinforcement units on wear resistance by introducing distinct local reinforcement areas on the surface. By integrating finite element analysis, an in-depth study of the wear resistance mechanism of the striped bionic samples was conducted. The findings highlight that different distributions of the striped reinforcement units significantly influence the surface stress distribution. In this work, the increase in wear resistance is directly proportional to the uniformity of the reinforcement units’ distribution. Notably, the wear resistance is optimized when the reinforcement units are uniformly dispersed at a spacing of 4.2 mm.