Influence of Ball-Burnishing Process on Surface Topography Parameters and Tribological Properties of Hardened Steel

Abstract

The ball-burnishing process is a particular finishing treatment that can improve selected properties of different materials. In the present study, the ball-burnishing technique was used to investigate the effect of input parameters of processes on selected surface layer features like surface roughness and residual stresses of the 42CrMo4 steel surfaces. The burnishing process was conducted on Haas CNC Vertical Mill Center VF-3 using a tool with tungsten carbide tip. A further objective of our research was to improve tribological properties of the aforementioned steel by the ball-burnishing process. The results of the investigations showed that it was possible to reduce the root mean square height of the surface Sq from 0.522 μm to 0.051 μm and to increase wear resistance compared to ground samples.

Keywords

• ball burnishing
• surface topography
• friction
• wear