Improvements of surface tribological properties by magnetic assisted ball burnishing

Abstract

The effect of the magnetic assisted ball burnishing on a general, C45 steel was investigated considering tribological aspects. In engineering practice, the tribological properties of machined surfaces are characterized by amplitude roughness parameters from roughness profiles, as Rpk, Rk, Rvk, Rsk and Rku. Information about the sliding properties can be described by these parameters together with the oil retention capacity of the surface. Despite the conventional burnishing processes used as a post-machining operation, the authors applied a newly designed magnetic assisted ball burnishing method and tool, which can also burnish flat or harmonically changing surfaces and is able to round the edge of the workpiece in one pass as well, immediately after milling. To increase efficiency of the applied burnishing process, different types of burnishing strategies were applied and compared. The results of the investigations showed that the magnetic assisted ball burnishing decreases the frictional resistance, and at the same time it creates advantageous oil pockets on the machined surface.