The effect of ball burnishing on heat-treated steel and Inconel 718 milled surfaces

In this paper the use of the ball burnishing process to improve the final quality of Inconel 718 surfaces is studied. This process changes the roughness and residual stresses of the previously end milled surfaces, achieving the finishing requirements for engine components. Both the burnishing system and main parameters are taken into account, considering their influence on finishing. Workpiece surface integrity is ensured due to the compression effect of this surfacef enhancement process and its associated cold working. Results of different tested pieces are discussed in relation to the maximum and mean surface roughness achieved microstructure and surface hardness. Results of heat-treated low carbon mould steel P20 (32 HRC) are compared with those for the nickel alloy Inconel 718 (solution treated and age hardening, 40 HRC). The main conclusions are that using a large radial width of cut in the previous end milling operation, together with a small radial width of cut during burnishing can produce acceptable final roughness. And compression cold working is higher and deeper in the Inconel 718 than in the steel case.     

Analysis and optimization of the ball burnishing process through the Taguchi technique

In the present study, the analysis and optimization of the ball burnishing process has been studied. The Taguchi technique is employed to identify the effect of burnishing parameters, i.e., burnishing speed, burnishing feed, burnishing force and number of passes, on surface roughness, surface micro-hardness, improvement ratio of surface roughness, and improvement ratio of surface micro-hardness. Taguchi tools such as analysis of variance (ANOVA), signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and additive model have been used to analyse, obtain the significant parameters and evaluate the optimum combination levels of ball burnishing process parameters. The analysis of results shows that the burnishing force with a contribution percent of 39.87% for surface roughness and 42.85% for surface micro-hardness had the dominant effect on both surface roughness and micro-hardness followed by burnishing feed, burnishing speed and then by number of passes.     

Surface microgeometry of structural-steel samples after diamond burnishing

The influence of diamond burnishing on the surface microgeometry of 30ХГСН2А-ВД structural alloy steel is considered. Empirical formulas are presented for the surface roughness as a function of the burnishing parameters.     

Determination of Optimal Ball-Burnishing Parameters for Plastic Injection Moulding Steel

The objective of this study is to determine the optimal plane ball-burnishing parameters for plastic injection moulding steel PDS5 on a machining centre by utilising the Taguchi’s orthogonal array method. The design and manufacture of a burnishing tool are described. Four burnishing parameters, namely the ball material, burnishing speed, burnishing force and feed, were selected as the experimental factors in Taguchi’s design of experiments to determine the optimal burnishing parameters which have the dominant influence on surface roughness. The optimal burnishing parameters were found after carrying out the experiments specified by Taguchi’s L18 orthogonal table, by the analysis of variation, and by a full factorial experiment. The optimal plane burnishing parameters for the plastic injection moulding steel PDS5 were a combination of a tungsten carbide ball, a burnishing speed of 200 mm/min, a burnishing force of 300 N and a feed of 40 μm. The surface roughness Ra of the specimen can be improved from about 1 μm to 0.07 μm by using the optimal burnishing parameters for plane burnishing.     

An Investigation of the Surface Topography of Ball Burnished Mild Steel and Aluminium

An experimental analysis was undertaken on ball burnished mild steel and aluminium using a purpose built burnishing tool. The analysis was designed to assess the effects of burnishing feed, force and speed and the number of tool passes on the surface roughness and surface hardness of a mild steel and an aluminium workpiece. In some cases, experiments showed that improvements of as much as 70% in surface quality were obtained when varying the mix of parameters.     

Analysis and experimental investigation of a simplified burnishing process

A slipline field model of a simplified burnishing process is used to derive equations for estimating the burnishing force, the depth of the burnished layer and the plastic strains in this layer. A detailed comparison is made between predicted and experimental results. An observation of considerable practical interest is the high quality surface finish (low surface roughness) which can be obtained by the burnishing process described.     

Precision surface finish of the mold steel PDS5 using an innovative ball burnishing tool embedded with a load cell

A load-cell-embedded burnishing tool has been newly developed and integrated with a machining center, to improve the surface roughness of the PDS5 plastic injection mold steel. Either the rolling-contact type or the sliding-contact type was possible for the developed ball burnishing tool. The characteristic curves of burnishing force vs. surface roughness for the PDS5 plastic injection mold steel using the developed burnishing tool for both the rolling-contact type and the sliding-contact type, have been investigated and constructed, based on the test results. The optimal plane surface burnishing force for the PDS5 plastic injection mold steel was about 420 N for the rolling-contact type and about 470 N for the sliding-contact type, based on the results of experiments. A force compensation strategy that results in the constant optimal normal force for burnishing an inclined surface or a curved surface, has also been proposed to improve the surface roughness of the test objects in this study. The surface roughness of a fine milled inclined surface of 60 degrees can be improved from R_a 3.0 μm on average to R_a 0.08 μm (R_max 0.79 μm) on average using force compensation, whereas the surface roughness was R_a 0.35 μm (R_max 4.56 μm) on average with no force compensation.     

IMPROVEMENTS IN THE SURFACE CHARACTERISTICS OF STAINLESS STEEL WORKPIECES BY BURNISHING WITH AN AMORPHOUS DIAMOND-COATED TIP

Burnishing is a cold working process that can be used to improve surface finish and surface hardness of workpieces. Conventionally, diamond or hard metal burnishing tools are used. In the present work, a novel burnishing tool was created by depositing amorphous diamond coating (AD) on a stainless steel tip. This tool was used to improve the surface finish and surface hardness of Nitronic-50 HS stainless steel workpieces. Nitronic-50 HS is used in a wide range of applications in industry. The burnishing process was carried out at different burnishing parameters (force, revolution speed, feed and number of tool passes). Burnishing parameters had a significant effect on the finishing process and they had to be optimized to achieve the best results. Remarkable improvements in surface finish (70% decrease in roughness) and hardness (25% increase) could be achieved with this tool and process in the surface finishing of Nitronic-50 stainless steel workpieces. From the tribological point of view, the AD-coated tip performed slightly better than a corresponding tip modified from a commercial polycrystalline diamond tip. AD coating seems to be very suitable for use in mechanical surface finishing tools such as a burnishing tip.     

Automated surface finishing of plastic injection mold steel with spherical grinding and ball burnishing processes

This study investigates the possibilities of automated spherical grinding and ball burnishing surface finishing processes in a freeform surface plastic injection mold steel PDS5 on a CNC machining center. The design and manufacture of a grinding tool holder has been accomplished in this study. The optimal surface grinding parameters were determined using Taguchi’s orthogonal array method for plastic injection molding steel PDS5 on a machining center. The optimal surface grinding parameters for the plastic injection mold steel PDS5 were the combination of an abrasive material of PA Al₂O₃, a grinding speed of 18000 rpm, a grinding depth of 20 μm, and a feed of 50 mm/min. The surface roughness R_a of the specimen can be improved from about 1.60 μm to 0.35 μm by using the optimal parameters for surface grinding. Surface roughness R_a can be further improved from about 0.343 μm to 0.06 μm by using the ball burnishing process with the optimal burnishing parameters. Applying the optimal surface grinding and burnishing parameters sequentially to a fine-milled freeform surface mold insert, the surface roughness R_a of freeform surface region on the tested part can be improved from about 2.15 μm to 0.07 μm.     

ZK60镁合金表面滚压强化试验研究

试验研究了ZK60镁合金表面滚压加工中工艺参数对试件表面粗糙度、表面形貌、表面残余应力和表层显微硬度的影响,结果表明滚压力和重复滚压次数对试件的表面粗糙度、表面形貌以及表面残余应力和表层硬度影响程度较大,滚压速度影响较小。对精车ZK60镁合金试件进行滚压加工,试件表面粗糙度R a、R z最大减小了50.3%和48.1%;残余压应力最大可达-54.55 MPa;显微硬度从试件表层到内部基体材料逐渐降低,表层硬度值最大为92.83 HV 0.25,比基体材料硬度提高了15.32%。     

Experimental study of lateral pass width in conventional and vibrations-assisted ball burnishing

Burnishing is a mechanical finishing operation performed on workpieces to enhance their surface quality through plastic deformation. One of the main issues to understand the overall process is the behavior of the elastoplastic deformations caused by the burnishing ball on the workpiece. The first burnishing passes performed on the workpiece surface lead to its plastic strain and self-hardening, thus influencing the results of consecutive passes. Some references have studied the phenomenon of indentation, finding that there is a certain self-hardening coefficient threshold which allows to predict the presence of pile-ups at the edges of the indentation path. Nevertheless, burnishing is not a single-pass operation. On the contrary, burnishing a whole surface requires successive adjacent and/or overlapping passes, i.e., parallel passes separated consecutively a certain lateral pass width. No reference has been found in the literature defining the adequate values of the lateral pass width with regards to the pile-up effect to enhance the final topology of the burnished surface. This paper explores that influence by studying the presence of the pile-up effect after burnishing a single or several overlapping passes on two materials (aluminum and steel), by characterizing the topology of the generated path. Afterwards, two adjacent passes are performed, varying the lateral pass width, to compare the final surface roughness derived from each operation. An optimum value for the lateral pass width was found, to improve the final roughness after burnishing in different conditions and to increase the productivity of the process.     

Simulation of textured surface topography during a low wear process

Wear experiments were conducted on a block-on ring tester. The stationary block made from cast iron of 50 HRC hardness was ground. The rotated ground ring was made from 42CrMo4 steel of 32 HRC hardness. The rings were modified by a burnishing technique in order to obtain surfaces with oil pockets. Oil pockets of spherical and of drop shape were tested. The correlation and regression analysis of parameters of textured surface topography was carried out. Two sets of surfaces were analysed: after machining and after “zero-wear”. As the result of analysis, minimum number of parameters describing this surface kind was obtained. A simple truncation model of the ring surface change was used. Worn surface topographies, after a low wear, were also modeled in a different way. An idea of the proposed method of surface topography modeling is imposition of random surface of Gaussian ordinate distribution on the base surface (after burnishing). The modeled surfaces were correctly matched to the measured surfaces in 90% of all analysed cases. Basing on the simulation, the local wear values during a low wear process were calculated and compared with experimental ones.     

Using specially designed high-stiffness burnishing tool to achieve high-quality surface finish

This paper is focused on the process of ball burnishing. The influence of tool stiffness on surface roughness parameters was considered theoretically, while experimental investigation was conducted to establish the influence of initial surface roughness (previous machining) on the effects of ball burnishing as the finishing process. Experimental investigations were conducted over a wide interval of most influential process parameters (burnishing forces, burnishing feed, and number of burnishing passes). The material used in the experiments was aluminum alloy EN AW-6082 (AlMgSi1) T651. Burnishing was performed using a specially designed tool of high stiffness. Statistical analysis of experimental data revealed strong correlation between roughness, R _a, and burnishing force, burnishing feed, and number of passes for the three surfaces, each with different roughness parameters. Particular combinations of process parameters yielded very low surface roughness, R _a, equivalent to polishing. It is worth noting that high surface quality can be achieved with relatively small burnishing forces, which differs from the investigations published so far. Contrary to conventional approaches, which are based on elastic tool systems, the authors propose the burnishing process to be conducted with high-stiffness tools. Further investigation shall be focused on optimization of burnishing process parameters in order to achieve surface finish equivalent to high polish.     

Ball burnishing of tool steel

In place of the traditional methods of finishing a surface, the ball-burnishing process was investigated. Experimental work was conducted on a vertical machining center to establish the effects of various burnishing parameters on the surface finish of ASSAB XW-5 steel (high-carbon, high-chrome steel), including burnishing speed, ball material, lubricant, burnishing forces (depth of penetration), and feed. Within the parameter space explored, it was found that the burnishing speed affects the surface finish, with a burnishing speed of 1,200 mm/min giving the worst surface finish. WC (Tungsten carbide) ball gave the best and most consistent surface finish. Grease was a better lubricant than cutting oil. By varying the burnishing speed, the burnishing forces varied also, and these forces showed no obvious relationship to the surface finish of the burnished workpiece.     

Investigation of the burnishing process with PCD tool on non-ferrous metals

It is well known that the no-chip machining process, burnishing, can easily improve surface roughness, waviness and hardness. To get the practical useful parameters, the effects of various burnishing parameters (spindle speed, depth, feed, burnishing radius and lathe) on surface roughness and waviness of the non-ferrous components were studied experimentally with a theoretical analysis. The experiments were conducted with a simply designed cylindrical surfaced polycrystalline diamond tool developed by us. It was found that smaller parameters do not mean lower surface roughness or waviness and different optimum burnishing parameters can be got under different burnishing conditions.     

Prediction of surface characteristics obtained by burnishing

To reduce the irregularities of machined surface, burnishing is used as a finishing process by plastic deformation. This process does not only improve surface finish but also generates compressive residual stresses throughout the surface. In this work, an analytical study and a finite element modelling were performed to provide a fundamental understanding of the burnishing on an AISI 1042 workpiece. The analytical results were concentrated on the surface roughness and on some burnishing parameter effects. The simulations were devoted to the study of the surface profile, the residual stresses and the influence of burnishing parameters (penetration depth, feed rates, diameter of the ball of burnishing tool and initial surface quality) on surface roughness and the residual stress distribution. It has been noted that burnishing improves surface quality and introduces compressive residual stresses. These results were successfully compared to experimental data obtained in previous works.     

THE EFFECT OF DIAMOND PRESSING AND ROLLER BURNISHING OF UNHEAT TREATED CARBON STEEL SURFACES

Diamond pressing (DP) and roller burnishing (RB) processes are surface plastic deformation methods used to improve surface quality (microhardness and surface roughness). In the present work DP and RB tools with a special holder were used to study the effect of DP and RB on the surface texture of three different carbon steels (low, medium, and high) and to compare the both methods. The results show that the RB in the case of low carbon steel is better than the DP in terms of its effect on the microhardness and surface roughness, but in the case of the medium and high carbon steel the results depicts that the DP is better than RB in terms of its effect on the microhardness, but the RB is better than DP in terms of its effect on the surface roughness. As a result of this study it was found that DP and RB have a great effect on surface texture and RB was found to be better in surface roughness, but DP has better results in surface microhardness relative to ground surfaces. Also in this paper micrographs of the processed surfaces of low, medium and high carbon steel are given and it is shown that the depth of plastic deformed surfaces by diamond pressing was about (330, 345, 390) µm and by roller burnishing about (270, 245, 230) µm for the three steels, respectively.     

An investigation of surface roughness of burnished AISI 1042 steel

The aim of this study is to analyse the evolution of surface roughness finished by burnishing. Burnishing is done on a surface that was initially turned or turned and then ground.It has been noted that burnishing an AISI 1042 steel offers the best surface quality when using a small feed value. This finishing process improves roughness and introduces compressive residual stresses in the machined surface. So, it can replace grinding in the machining range of the piece.Also, an analytical model has been defined to determine the R_t factor in relation to the feed. Good correlations have been found between the experimental and analytical results.     

THE EFFECT OF DIAMOND PRESSING AND ROLLER BURNISHING OF UNHEAT TREATED CARBON STEEL SURFACES

Diamond pressing (DP) and roller burnishing (RB) processes are surface plastic deformation methods used to improve surface quality (microhardness and surface roughness). In the present work DP and RB tools with a special holder were used to study the effect of DP and RB on the surface texture of three different carbon steels (low, medium, and high) and to compare the both methods. The results show that the RB in the case of low carbon steel is better than the DP in terms of its effect on the microhardness and surface roughness, but in the case of the medium and high carbon steel the results depicts that the DP is better than RB in terms of its effect on the microhardness, but the RB is better than DP in terms of its effect on the surface roughness. As a result of this study it was found that DP and RB have a great effect on surface texture and RB was found to be better in surface roughness, but DP has better results in surface microhardness relative to ground surfaces. Also in this paper micrographs of the processed surfaces of low, medium and high carbon steel are given and it is shown that the depth of plastic deformed surfaces by diamond pressing was about (330, 345, 390) µm and by roller burnishing about (270, 245, 230) µm for the three steels, respectively.     

Ductility improvement of aluminum 1050A rolled sheet by a newly designed ball burnishing tool device

Conventional ball burnishing processes using a roller or a ball pressed against round or small flat surfaces have long been used to improve hardness, fatigue strength, and wear resistance of mechanical parts by plastic deformation. However, the treatment of large flat surfaces using conventional techniques is rarely considered because of its time consumption. In the present work, the optimal burnishing parameters of rolled sheets of aluminum 1050A are determined by means of a newly developed burnishing tool device especially designed to treat large flat surfaces with orders of magnitude reduction in burnishing time. Experiments were designed and performed on a machining center based on response surface methodology with central composite design. The burnished specimens were then tested to find the burnishing condition under which ductility was improved. This study has resulted in significant new insights into the effect of burnishing on the surface quality and workpiece properties of aluminum 1050A plates. A second-order mathematical model, validated using data obtained from atomic force microscopy, was developed to predict the surface roughness as functions of speed, force, and feed rate. The results indicate that burnishing of aluminum 1050A plates improves its ductility, but not its micro-hardness. Following the various burnishing conditions, the micro-hardness measurements range from 40 to 43?HV (50?g), indicating that there is little or no hardening. Although a moderate effect with varied degrees is found on the surface roughness as functions of the investigated parameters, the burnishing force has a significant effect on ductility. The results also indicate that lower values of roughness do not guarantee better ductility for aluminum 1050A plates. Furthermore, the effect of the burnishing loads on the residual stresses was found to depend on the feed direction.