A PROCESS FOR MODIFYING THE SURFACE OF HARD ENGINEERING CERAMIC MATERIALS

摘要

In a process for modifying the surface of a hard engineering ceramic material, a point or line load is applied to the surface of the hard engineering ceramic material by a second material such as to cause plastic deformation of the hard engineering ceramic material. To this end, the said second material is repeatedly traversed across the surface of the hard engineering ceramic material. The process is advantageously applied to a first engineering component fabricated from the hard engineering ceramic material and a second engineering component fabricated from the second material. The second material may also be a hard engineering ceramic material, and may be of the same hardness as the hard engineering ceramic material to be treated. The first and second components are used in a tribological application and between them define a point or line contact such that in use the second engineering component defines the surface of the first engineering component. The first engineering component may comprise a piston ring and the second engineering component may comprise a piston cylinder, or vice-versa.