Free surface energy evaluation in the laser texturing of a carbon steel s275

Abstract

Currently, the manufacture of hybrid structures of dissimilar materials is generating great interest. These allow to combine mechanical properties of different materials to achieve a higher functional performance. To obtain these structures, different joining technologies are used, especially the use of adhesives. Nevertheless, for the correct application of an adhesive, the surface of the metal to be bonded must be prepared. Laser texturing has become a widely studied technology for this purpose because it allows very defined textures to be obtained. This technology allows to activate the surface and improve the application of the adhesive afterwards. In that sense, hydrophilic surfaces are generated and evaluated by wettability tests to know the surface free energy obtained in the texturing. In order to improve the bonding of dissimilar materials in the form of hybrid structure, a study has been carried out on the laser texturing of a carbon steel S275 and the relationship between the texturing parameters with its surface activation through wettability and surface free energy tests. Thus, the energy density obtained by the combination of power and scanning speed allows the generation of very defined textures that increase the surface activation of the steel. This has made it possible to establish a mathematical relationship between the texturing parameters and the results obtained. © 2022 The Authors.