Study on Friction and Wear Performance of Bionic Function Surface in High-Speed Ball Milling

During the service life of automotive panel stamping dies, the surface is often subjected to high loads and repeated friction, resulting in excessive wear. This leads to die failure, reduced machining accuracy, and decreased production efficiency. To enhance the anti-friction and wear-resistant performance of die steel surfaces, this study introduces the concept of biomimetic engineering in surface science. By mimicking microstructural configurations found in nature with outstanding wear resistance, biomimetic functional surfaces were designed and fabricated. Specifically, quadrilateral dimples inspired by the back of dung beetles, pentagonal scales from armadillo skin, and hexagonal scales from the belly of desert vipers were selected as biological prototypes. These surface textures were fabricated on Cr12MoV die steel using high-speed ball-end milling. Finite element simulations and dry sliding wear tests were conducted to systematically investigate the tribological behavior of surfaces with different dimple geometries. The results showed that the quadrilateral dimple surface derived from the dung beetle exhibited the best performance in reducing friction and wear. Furthermore, the milling parameters for this surface were optimized using response surface methodology. After optimization, the friction coefficient was reduced by 21.3%, and the wear volume decreased by 38.6% compared to a smooth surface. This study confirms the feasibility of fabricating biomimetic functional surfaces via high-speed ball-end milling and establishes an integrated surface engineering approach combining biomimetic design, efficient manufacturing, and parameter optimization. The results provide both theoretical and methodological support for improving the service life and surface performance of large automotive panel dies.