Ultrafast laser-chemical modification hybrid fabrication of hydrostatic bearings with a superhydrophobicity solid-liquid interface

Oil film vortex severely reduces the stability of hydrostatic bearings. A solid-liquid interface with drag and slip properties can weaken the oil film vortex of the bearing. Here, a combined picosecond laser ablation and chemical modification method is proposed to prepare surfaces with microbulge array structure on 6061 aluminum alloy substrates. Because of the low surface energy of the perfluorododecyltriethoxysilane modification and the bulge geometry of the microbulge array structure, the surface shows excellent superhydrophobicity. The optimum contact angle in air for water is 164°, and that for oil is 139°. Two surfaces with “lotus-leaf effect” and “rose-petal effect” were obtained by controlling the processing parameters. The drag reduction properties of superhydrophobic surfaces were systematically investigated with slip lengths of 22.26 and 36.25 μm for deionized water and VG5 lubricant, respectively. In addition, the superhydrophobic surface exhibits excellent mechanical durability and thermal stability. The proposed method provides a new idea for vortex suppression in hydrostatic bearings and improves the stability of bearings in high-speed operation.