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.