Ultrafast Laser-Induced Surface Texturing to Enhance Stainless Steel Gliding on Snow

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Tribology
• Surface Engineering

Background:

• Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) is standard for skis but lacks durability on hard snow.
• Stainless steel offers superior mechanical strength but higher friction.
• Surface engineering is explored to mitigate stainless steel's friction issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate stainless steel as a durable ski base material.
• To engineer stainless steel surfaces with micro/nano-structures to reduce snow friction.
• To achieve gliding performance comparable to UHMWPE.

Main Methods:

• Femtosecond laser irradiation used to engrave fishbone microstructures combined with Laser-Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSSs) on 301H stainless steel.
• Custom-built snow tribometer employed for friction testing.
• Morphological, physical, and chemical analyses conducted using microscopy, contact angle measurements, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy.

Main Results:

• Gliding performance was primarily influenced by the geometry and orientation of micro/nano-features, not surface chemistry or wetting.
• Specific fishbone and LIPSS patterns achieved friction coefficients comparable to UHMWPE.
• Laser texturing proved to be a fast, economical, and sustainable single-step process.

Conclusions:

• Laser-textured stainless steel with tailored micro/nano-geometries is a viable alternative to UHMWPE for ski bases.
• The developed fishbone-texture design is suitable for industrial up-scaling to real-size alpine ski prototypes.
• Surface geometry, not chemistry, is key to optimizing snow friction for engineered metallic ski bases.