Self-lubricative performance of laser processed graphene structures for space applications via digital twin approach

• Laser shock peening (LSP) enhanced wear resistance and reduced friction in AA 6061 composites. • Grain refinement and compressive stresses improved surface hardness and reduced wear loss. • Digital twin models accurately predicted wear behaviour under varied conditions. • LSP-treated composites proved ideal for aerospace applications in vacuum environments. This study explores the tribological performance of Al 6061, Al 6061-Graphene, and Al 6061-Graphene-LSP under varying load, temperature, and vacuum conditions. The results show that graphene reinforcement and laser shock peening (LSP) significantly reduce friction and wear loss. Al 6061-Graphene exhibited 22 % lower wear loss and 26 % reduced friction at 100 N load compared to Al 6061. Al 6061-Graphene-LSP demonstrated a 44 % reduction in wear loss and 42 % lower friction. Under vacuum conditions, Al 6061-Graphene-LSP showed 60 % lower wear loss. Digital twin approach by machine learning, particularly Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), achieved an R² score of 0.92, confirming the model's accuracy in wear loss prediction. These findings highlight the potential of Al 6061-Graphene-LSP for aerospace applications requiring low friction and high wear resistance.