Assessment of tool rake surface structure geometry for enhanced contact phenomena

The tribological conditions for mating surfaces can be improved by surface structuring. For tool rake faces, this can lead to reduced frictional forces. This work suggests a new approach and contributes to the assessment of geometric parameters and location of rake face surface structures. A femto-second laser was used to machine structures to a Taguchi experimental design inspired by contact length modelling. Cutting tests were done to assess feature dimensions/location from the cutting edge. This paper makes a significant contribution to the fundamental design principles for location of rake face structures and their impact on contact phenomena.