Diamond Research Articles

In situ single-crystal X-ray diffraction of olivine inclusion in diamond from Shandong, China: implications for the depth of diamond formation

Abstract. We have investigated a suite of natural diamonds from the kimberlite pipe of the Changma Kimberlite Belt, Mengyin County, Shandong Province, China, with the aim of constraining pressures and temperatures of formation. Here we report the non-destructive investigation of an olivine inclusion still entrapped within a lithospheric diamond by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. We were able to refine anisotropically its crystal structure to R1= 1.42 % using ionized scattering curves; this allows estimation of the composition of the olivine as Mg1.82Fe0.18SiO4. This composition corresponds to a calculated unit-cell volume equal to V= 292.70 Å3 at room temperature and pressure. We have validated the above-calculated composition and unit-cell volume by releasing the inclusion from the diamond host, resulting in a consistent composition calculated using non-destructive methods of Mg1.84Fe0.16SiO4 and V= 292.80 ± 0.07 Å3. Considering that the unit-cell volume of the olivine still inside its diamond host is V= 289.7 ± 0.2 Å3, we calculated a residual pressure Pinc= 1.4 ± 0.1 GPa with respect to the released crystal and Pinc= 1.3 ± 0.2 GPa with respect to the volume calculated from the “composition” indirectly retrieved by the structure refinement under ambient conditions. The two values of Pinc overlap within experimental uncertainty. We performed Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) analysis on the diamond host in order to calculate its mantle residence temperature, Tres, which resulted in a value of 1189 ∘C (for an assumed diamond age of 3 Ga) and 1218 ∘C (for an age of 1 Ga), with an average Tres equal to 1204 ± 15 ∘C. Using the most up-to-date pressure–volume–temperature equations of state for olivine and diamond, the residual pressure Pinc= 1.4 ± 0.1 GPa and average residence temperature of the diamond host Tres= 1204 ∘C, we retrieved a pressure of entrapment Ptrap= 6.3 ± 0.4 GPa. Using the non-destructive approach and relative Pinc = 1.3 GPa, we obtained a perfectly overlapping Ptrap= 6.2 GPa, within experimental uncertainty. This entrapment pressure corresponds to depths of about 190 ± 12 km. These results demonstrate that for high-quality crystal structure data measured on inclusions still trapped within diamond hosts, even a non-destructive approach can be used to calculate the depth of formation of diamond–olivine pairs. In terms of geological implications, the results from this work show that Changma diamonds formed under a conductive geotherm lying between 35 and 40 mW m−2, at a depth of about 190 km. This value lies within the recently reported upper limit of the average depth of formation of worldwide lithospheric diamonds, which is 175 ± 15 km and is in agreement with P–T data obtained in the literature from kimberlite xenoliths.

IR Spectroscopy of Vacancy Clusters (Amber Centers) in CVD Diamonds Nanostructured by Fast Neutron Irradiation

We investigated the IR absorption spectra of CVD diamond damaged by fast neutrons (>0.1 MeV) with high fluences ranging from 1 × 1018 to 2 × 1019 cm−2 and annealed at temperatures of 200 °C to 1680 °C. After annealing above 1000 °C, the formation of “amber-centers” (ACs), associated with multivacancy clusters, is detected as deduced from the appearance of a strong absorption line at 4100 cm−1. Moreover, the concentration of the ACs in the irradiated diamond can be an order of magnitude higher than that observed previously in the darkest brown natural diamonds. A number of other absorption lines, including the H1b center at 4936 cm−1 (0.612 eV) and new lines at ~5700 cm−1 (0.706 eV) and 9320 cm−1 (1.155 eV) not reported before in the literature, are observed, and their intensity evolutions at annealing temperatures are documented. At the highest fluences, all the lines show reduced intensities and broadening and spectral shifts due to a very high defect concentration and partial amorphization. The obtained experimental data can be used for the analysis of defect generation, transformations and healing in irradiated synthetic and natural diamonds.

Atomic-scale observation and prediction of gallium ion implantation induced amorphization on natural diamond surface

Gallium ion implantation is an important solution to modify the physical properties of diamonds, in which the critical condition of gallium ion implantation-induced amorphization of diamond has a crucial influence on the modification effect. Therefore, this work attempts to establish an analytical prediction model of the critical implantation dose for diamond amorphization considering the acceleration voltage, implantation angle and crystal orientation. The prediction accuracy of the model is validated with the electron backscatter diffraction pattern technology. The results show that the model has a satisfactory prediction accuracy when the acceleration voltage is higher. Moreover, the atomic-scale observation of gallium ion implantation-induced amorphization of natural diamonds is realized on a spherical aberration projection electron microscope. The results presented in this work are significant to modify the natural diamond tool for service life improvement with focused ion beams in the future as well as to guide doping diamonds to manufacture n-type semiconductor diamonds.

Novel Robust Internal Calibration Procedure for Precise FT-IR Measurements of Nitrogen Impurities in Diamonds

FT-IR spectroscopy is the basic finger-print method for qualitative and quantitative analysis of nitrogen, boron, and hydrogen impurities in natural and synthetic diamonds. In quantitative measurements of impurity concentrations, external standard samples are required for the calibration procedure during the analysis. In this study, the double-phonon mid-IR absorption coefficient of optical phonons of the diamond host matrix, the robust internal mid-IR absorption standard, was accurately measured for tens of diverse diamond samples, thus enabling precise calibrated measurements of ultra-low detectable impurity concentrations.

Transport management practices and performance of diamond mining companies in Zimbabwe

Transport management practices and performance of diamond mining companies in Zimbabwe

Magnetic and Optical Properties of Natural Diamonds with Subcritical Radiation Damage Induced by Fast Neutrons

Raman spectroscopy and magnetic properties of the natural single crystalline diamonds irradiated with high fluences of fast reactor neutrons have been investigated. Raman spectra transformations were studied in the range from moderate levels up to radiation damage leading to diamond graphitization. The selection of fast neutrons irradiated diamonds for magnetic measurements was carried out according to Raman scattering data on the basis of the intensity criterion and the spectral position of the “1640” band. It was found that in natural diamonds irradiated with neutrons with an extremely high subcritical fluence F = 5 × 1020 cm−2, the transition from a diamagnetic to a ferromagnetic state is observed at the Curie–Weiss temperature of ≈150 K. The energy of the exchange magnetic interaction of uncompensated spins is estimated to be ≈1.7 meV. The differential magnetic susceptibility estimated from the measurements of magnetic moment for temperature 2 K in the limit of B ≈ 0 is χdiff ≈ 1.8 × 10−3 SI units. The nature of magnetism in radiation-disordered single-crystal hydrogen- and metal-free natural diamond grains was discussed.

DIAMOND CRYSTALLIZATION AND PHASE COMPOSITION IN THE FeNi – GRAPHITE – CaCO3 SYSTEM AT 5.5 Gpa

An experimental simulation of diamond crystallization in the system FeNi - graphite - calcium carbonate at a pressure of 5.5 GPa and a temperature of 1400℃ was carried out. Two sample assembly configurations were used. In the first one – the starting materials were put layer by layer, and in the second one - the components were mixed. It has been established that calcium carbonate, when interacting with the FeNi-melt, decomposes with the formation of Ca,Fe oxides and the release of CO2. Magnetite may be present as an accessory phase. Due to the formation of solid reaction products (Ca,Fe oxides) during layer-by-layer filling of the growth volume, the presence of calcium carbonate between graphite and FeNi-melt prevents diamond crystallization in the graphite layer and carbon transport to diamond seed crystals. When the components are mixed in the growth volume, diamond synthesis and growth onto seed crystals occur. The phenomenon of segregation of diamond crystals together with calcium carbonate and oxide phases, the products of the reaction in the bulk of the metal, has been discovered. Aliphatic, cyclic, and oxygenated hydrocarbons, including heavy compounds (C13-C17), CO2, H2O, nitrogen- and sulfonated compounds, were identified in the fluid phase captured by diamonds in the form of inclusions during growth. The composition of the fluid phase in the studied diamonds is more oxidized compared to the composition of fluid inclusions in diamonds grown in the FeNi – graphite system without carbonate. The results obtained correlate with the data on natural diamonds, among which there are crystals with “essentially carbon dioxide” compositions of fluid inclusions, which indicates the possible participation of crustal carbonate matter in the processes of diamond formation during subduction into the deep mantle.

Microscale Simultaneous Measurement of Carbon and Nitrogen Isotopes on Natural Diamond

Simultaneous analysis of carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios by SIMS was applied for the first‐time to a natural diamond from the Kelsey Lake kimberlite, State Line Distinct, Colorado (UWD‐1). This in situ procedure is faster, reduces sample size for analysis, and measures both isotope ratios from a single ~ 10 μm diameter pit, a critical advantage for zoned diamonds. The carbon isotope ratio (expressed as δ13CVPDB) of the bulk UWD‐1 crystal, determined by the conventional combustion method in the present study, is ‐5.9‰ ± 0.2‰ (VPDB, 2s). Nitrogen mass fraction ([N]) and isotope ratio (expressed as δ15NAir) were determined by stepwise combustion and gas‐source mass‐spectrometry, resulting in 553 ± 64 μg g‐1 and ‐6.7‰ ± 1.1‰ (Air, 2s), respectively. Secondary ions of 12C2‐, 12C13C‐, 12C14N‐, and 12C15N‐ were simultaneously measured by SIMS using three Faraday cups and one electron multiplier. The spot‐to‐spot reproducibility of δ13C and δ15N values for the UWD‐1 (178 spots on sixteen chips, 10 μm spots), were 0.3‰ and 1.6‰, respectively (2s). While 12C14N‐/12C2‐ ratios, which are an indicator for [N], varied up to 12% among these sixteen chips, such variation did not correlate with either δ13C or δ15N values. We propose that UWD‐1 is a suitable reference sample for microscale in situ analysis of δ13C and δ15N values in diamond samples.

An integrated safety framework for the diamond mines: A case study from Namibia

The Integrated Diamond Safety Maturity Framework is a novel, innovative approach to safety maturity that embraces four Cs, viz. Culture, Competence, Cultivate and Connectedness (4Cs) in a single framework, underpinned by corporate values. As a novel people engagement approach, this framework allows for considering the complexity found in the dynamic reciprocal relationships between these 4Cs and how these enable people to be the strongest link in safety. This safety framework was, for the first time, applied to a Namibian marine diamond recovery company to enhance the safety of its workers at the frontline and support the mines’ safety maturity journey.The objective of this paper is to examine the extent to which the application of the Integrated Diamond Safety Maturity Framework has assisted to enhance the safety of frontline workers as well as support growth in safety maturity. For this purpose, a longitudinal research design methodology was applied to determine changes in safety maturity. Data triangulation was used. It included qualitative safety climate assessments where the whole employee population participated in semi-structured interviews as well as document analysis, which entailed reviewing the leading and lagging data that was collected by the company.The main findings of the study indicated that the application of the 4Cs approach can significantly shift an organisation towards Inherent maturity where people are ready to respond to the next risk.The most advanced area was found to be the culture of leadership, in which many more employees took responsibility for and were accountable for their safety and that of their work teams. The selected lagging and leading indicators also showed improvements, which implied that the number of serious injuries was reduced, with fatalities eliminated.The entire undertaking brings to light new field-based knowledge on how the implementation of the Integrated Diamond Safety Maturity Framework can significantly shift an organisation towards improved safety maturity. Further research is underway as new insights are revealed about the value of the Integrated Diamond Safety Maturity Framework and the role of leadership in eliminating fatalities.

HEGEMONY OF LANGUAGE AS REFLECTED IN BURNETT’S A LITTLE PRINCESS

This research is intended to find out the form of the hegemony of language that is conducted by the ruling class over the subaltern people in the Novel A Little Princess. This research also explains the causal factor and its effects on the characters of Burnett’s novel in the Victorian Era. The researcher uses Gramsci’s concept of hegemony. Hegemony is the predominance obtained by consent rather than the force of one class over other classes. This research applies to library research because the corpus is a novel entitled A Little Princess. Besides that, this research is a concept analysis. The researcher explains the object and relates it to concepts, theories, or other relevant sources. It can be concluded that the ruling class conducts the hegemony of language because there is a diamond mine. The hegemony of language in this novel brings many impacts. They are: French becomes a nobility language in the Select Seminary environment, the classification of society as two classes (aristocratic and pariah class), a snobbish attitude, unfair and arbitrary attitude towards pariahs, and the emergence of resistance.

Optical remote sensing of large-scale water pollution in Angola and DR Congo caused by the Catoca mine tailings spill

Billions of tons of hazardous mine waste are stored in thousands of tailings storage facilities around the world. These impoundments represent one of the most important environmental risk factors of industrial mining, since occasional tailings spills or dam failures cause devastating impacts on humans and ecosystems, specifically along river corridors. In this study, we developed a satellite remote sensing methodology to assess the impacts of tailings spills on water quality focusing on the controversial incident that occurred at the Catoca diamond mine in Angola in late July 2021. The spill allegedly caused important river pollution in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) and led to public health concerns including the loss of human lives – however the mining company denied any responsibility. We processed high resolution imagery acquired by ESA’s Sentinel-2 satellites using the Python package Acolite for atmospheric correction and turbidity retrieval, and applied a river skeletonizing algorithm to automatically extract turbidity values for the entire river system. This allowed tracking the propagation of the pollution front from the source at the Catoca mine through the Tshikapa- and the Kasaï River during more than one month and across 1400 km, until the pollution front finally dissipated after discharging into the Congo River. We further analyzed a 6-year time series of virtual stations in the Tshikapa River located up- and downstream of the effluent discharge to compare the impacts of the tailings spill to seasonal variabilities of water quality. Turbidity values caused by the spill largely exceeded the seasonal variability in the Tshikapa River in recent years. These findings confirm that the Catoca tailings spill has significantly affected water quality of the Tshikapa- and the Kasaï River with total suspended solids concentrations that were several 10-fold above drinking water standards in Lunda Norte Province, Angola, and Kasaï Province, DR Congo, making severe public health impacts for residents and fish kills highly probable. After investigating whether this methodology could be applied to other tailings dam failures that have occurred since the Sentinel-2 mission began in 2015, we recommend to apply it to four other incidents in Mexico, Myanmar, Peru and China, respectively. Overall, this Sentinel-2 workflow provides the opportunity to assess the large-scale impacts of pollution incidents in mining areas around the world in locations where hydrological- and water quality data are scarce and monitoring capacities are limited.

Metagenomic assessment of nitrate-contaminated mine wastewaters and optimization of complete denitrification by indigenous enriched bacteria

Nitrate contamination in water remains to be on the rise globally due to continuous anthropogenic activities, such as mining and farming, which utilize high amounts of ammonium nitrate explosives and chemical-NPK-fertilizers, respectively. This study presents insights into the development of a bioremediation strategy to remove nitrates (NO3−) using consortia enriched from wastewater collected from a diamond mine in Lesotho and a platinum mine in South Africa. A biogeochemical analysis was conducted on the water samples which aided in comparing and elucidating their unique physicochemical parameters. The chemical analysis uncovered that both wastewater samples contained over 120 mg/L of NO3− and over 250 mg/L of sulfates (SO42-), which were both beyond the acceptable limit of the environmental surface water standards of South Africa. The samples were atypical of mine wastewaters as they had low concentrations of dissolved heavy metals and a pH of over 5. A metagenomic analysis applied to study microbial diversities revealed that both samples were dominated by the phyla Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, which accounted for over 40% and 15%, respectively. Three consortia were enriched to target denitrifying bacteria using selective media and then subjected to complete denitrification experiments. Denitrification dynamics and denitrifying capacities of the consortia were determined by monitoring dissolved and gaseous nitrogen species over time. Denitrification optimization was carried out by changing environmental conditions, including supplementing the cultures with metal enzyme co-factors (iron and copper) that were observed to promote different stages of denitrification. Copper supplemented at 50 mg/L was observed to be promoting complete denitrification of over 500 mg/L of NO3−, evidenced by the emission of nitrogen gas (N2) that was more than nitrous oxide gas (N2O) emitted as the terminal by-product. Modification and manipulation of growth conditions based on the microbial diversity enriched proved that it is possible to optimize a bioremediation system that can reduce high concentrations of NO3−, while emitting an environmentally-friendly N2 instead of N2O, that is, a greenhouse gas. Data collected and discussed in this research study can be used to model an upscale NO3− bioremediation system aimed to remove nitrogenous and other contaminants without secondary contamination.

Influence of Finishing Procedures on Surface Roughness and Biaxial Flexural Strength of High-translucent 4Y-PSZ, 5Y-PSZ, and 6Y-PSZ Monolithic Zirconia

Objective: This study aims to investigate the effects of glazing, polishing and polishing with a polishing paste of newly developed highly translucent materials on the flexural strength of these materials and aims to illuminate where there is not much study yet on the finishing procedures to be done.
 Methods: Three different high translucency Y-PSZ (Yittria partially stabilized zirconia): KST (Katana STML), KUT (Katana UTML), NCQ (Nacera Pearl Q3 Multi-Shade) and one translucent 3Y-TZP (3-yttria stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystalline): NCMS (Nacera Pearl Multi-Shade) zirconia system were used. A total of 120 specimens were prepared in the form of discs with a diameter of 14 mm and dimensions of 1.2 ± 0.2
 mm. Three experimental groups (n = 30) were formed from each type of material, using three finishing protocols: Diamond Polishing system (DP); Diamond Polishing system followed by Polishing Paste (PP); Glaze Application (GP). Surface Roughness (Ra) was measured by using a contact profilometer, and a biaxial flexural strength test was applied to determine their flexural strength. The obtained data were analyzed using the Weibull distribution. All results were evaluated statistically.
 Results: For Ra values, there was a statistical difference between all the procedures applied in the KST material as in the NCQ material. However, there was no statistical difference between GP and PP procedures in Ra values in the NCMS material and between DP and PP procedures in the KUT material. The characteristic strengths of DP applied to NCMS and NCQ material, PP applied to KST, and KUT material had the highest value. The highest m values for DP were determined in KST, NCMS, NCQ materials, while in KUT material, PP was determined in the finishing procedure.
 Conclusion: Finishing procedures have significant effects on surface roughness and flexural strength values for translucent zirconia materials. The lowest Ra value and the highest flexural strength were found in the DP group of NCMS. In KST and KUT materials, the highest flexural strength results were found in the PP procedure while NCQ was not affected by finishing procedures.

Influence of Defects in Surface Layer of Al2O3/TiC and SiAlON Ceramics on Physical and Mechanical Characteristics

The paper studies the influence of diamond grinding, lapping, and polishing on the surface layer and defectiveness of the Al2O3/TiC and SiAlON ceramic samples. The index of defectiveness ID, which is the product of the defect density and the defective layer’s thickness (Rt), and a method for its evaluation are proposed to quantify the defectiveness of the ceramic surfaces. Lapping reduces the Rt parameter by 2.6–2.7 times when the density of defects was decreased by 2 times. After polishing, the Rt parameter decreases to 0.42 μm for Al2O3/TiC and 0.37 μm for SiAlON samples. The density of defects decreases many times after polishing: up to 0.005 and 0.004, respectively. The crack resistance of the polished samples increased by 5–7%. The volumetric wear of polished samples decreased by 1.5–1.9 times compared to the ground ones after 20 min of abrasion wear. The polished samples show a decrease in the coefficient of friction at 800 °C and a decrease in the volumetric wear by 1.5 and 1.3 times, respectively, compared to the ground ones after 200 m of friction distance. The volumetric wear at high-temperature friction of sliding for polished specimens was 55% and 42% less than for the ground ones, respectively.

Imaging-assisted Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy for diamond jewelry identification and evaluation.

Jewelry identification and evaluation are limited owing to interference from the surrounding metal mount and adjacent gemstones. To maintain transparency in the jewelry market, this study proposes imaging-assisted Raman and photoluminescence spectroscopy for jewelry measurement. The system can automatically measure multiple gemstones on a jewelry piece sequentially, using the image as a reference for alignment. The experimental prototype demonstrates the capability of noninvasive measurement for separating natural diamonds from their laboratory-grown counterparts and diamond simulants. Furthermore, the image can be used for gemstone color evaluation and weight estimation.

Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman

Geochemical modeling of CO2 sequestration in ultramafic mine wastes from Australia, Canada, and South Africa: Implications for carbon accounting and monitoring

Passive carbonation in ultramafic mine wastes results from the spontaneous reaction of gangue minerals with carbon dioxide (CO2) to form stable carbonate minerals that store CO2. Mines can benefit from unintentional CO2 sequestration to offset greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Quantitative X-ray diffraction (QXRD) analysis of numerous samples of mine wastes has typically been used to quantify passive carbonation rates. This analysis yields valuable information about carbon sinks; however, extensive mineralogical assessments are technically demanding and cost-prohibitive for routine carbon accounting. Alternatively, we explored using inverse geochemical modeling to estimate passive carbonation rates and monitor CO2 sequestration in active mines. Water chemistry data, tailings mineralogy, and operational information routinely collected by mines were used as inputs for models. The predictive capabilities of the models were tested for Mount Keith nickel mine (Australia), Diavik diamond mine (Canada) – for which rates were previously determined using QXRD. A new site — Venetia diamond mine (South Africa) — was used to illustrate the potential of geochemical modeling for carbon accounting and as a long-term monitoring tool for CO2 sequestration. Mount Keith models predicted passive carbonation rates (3900 g CO2/m2/yr) consistent with previous QXRD assessments (2400 g CO2/m2/yr; 172 samples) using only two water samples. CO2 removal rates for Diavik were found to be impacted by seasonality and to range between ∼375 and 510 g CO2/m2/yr, showing similarities with previous QXRD rates estimates (313–350 g CO2/m2/yr). With the long-term water chemistry records (2009–2018) available for Venetia mine, we predicted calcite as the main CO2 sink and that ∼14,875 t CO2 were stored in the kimberlite residues impoundments (3.5 km2) over 9 years at a rate of ∼470 g CO2/m2/yr. Moreover, long-term monitoring shows a decline in CO2 removal rates at Venetia, possibly due to changes in kimberlite reactivity and current mine waste disposal practices. Overall, inverse modeling proved that it can be a viable alternative or complement to QXRD techniques for carbon accounting in active mines, substantially reducing the need for mine waste sampling and permitting long-term monitoring. Moreover, the model shows how passive carbonation rates change dynamically with the mine production and waste management practices. Simultaneously, the model provides insights into potential mineral reactions operating in tailings and that regulate carbon sequestration mechanisms. For that reason, this accounting technique has an enormous potential to assist in decision-making for implementing enhanced CO2 sequestration strategies (e.g., enhanced rock weathering) and to support carbon sequestration monitoring, validation, and reporting in active mines.

Synthétiser des diamants au laboratoire comme ils se forment dans la nature

High pressure and high temperature experiments performed in the laboratory are used to understand how diamonds are formed in the deep Earth. To achieve this purpose, we grow diamonds similar to natural diamonds, having trapped the same kind of impurities than observed in natural ones. We show that natural diamonds of different morphologies: monocrystalline, fibrous, coated, polycrystalline, all grow in the same kind of fluids in the Earth’s lithosphere.

Influence of soda-sulfate mixture on physicochemical properties of saponite suspension

This article deals with the problem of clayey sludge utilization of diamondiferous ore enrichment. Thickening of saponite sludge by means of chemical treatment is currently considered as the most effective way to clarify the volume of water sufficient to maintain the recycling water supply of the enterprise and, as a consequence, to reduce the volume of additional water introduced into the process. The authors propose a new coagulant for settling saponite sludge - sodium sulfate mixture, which is a by-product of aluminum production. The use of sodosulfate mixture will reduce the amount of waste for both the diamond mining plant's concentrator and the alumina production. The question of the mechanism of interaction of saponite sludge particles with the proposed reagent is considered. The aim of the research is to find physical and chemical regularities of interaction of clayey slime particles with sodosulfate mixture. Chemical and mineral composition of used raw materials, surface charge of clay particles, granulometric composition of experimental samples and their electrokinetic potential were determined in the work. The results of the studies showed that the mineral composition of the clay slurry includes the following minerals: saponite, kaolin, serpentine, beidelite, dolomite. The surface charge of clay particles is negative. The chemical composition of the soda-sulfate mixture is represented in the form of oxides: Na2O, SO3, CO2, Al2O3. The dependence of the electrokinetic potential on the mass of the mineral additive introduced into the slurry was revealed. It was noted that the absolute value of ζ-potential remains above 30 mV despite increasing the concentration of the additive, but coagulation of clay particles occurs and the system in question loses sedimentation stability at a concentration of sodium sulfate mixture of 14.4 g/l.

The Correlation between Surface Integrity and Operating Behaviour of Slide Burnished Components—A Review and Prospects

This review paper analyses and summarises the results found while studying the slide burnishing (SB) of metal components refracted through a prism during the surface engineering (SE) process, over the period of January 2019 to January 2023. According to the classification of SE processes defined in the article, SB as a technique in the scope of SE that belongs to the group of static surface cold working (SCW) processes, based on severe surface plastic deformation, and is realised under the condition of sliding friction contact with the treated surface. When the deforming element is natural or artificial diamond, SB is known as diamond burnishing (DB). SB is especially suited for axes, shafts, and holes with circular cross-sections but can also be implemented on flat-face and complex surfaces. SB is eco-friendly and a very economical method for producing mirror-like surface finishes on a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous machined surfaces, but it can also be realised as a hardening and mixed process with the aim of significantly increasing the fatigue strength and wear resistance of the treated components. Based on a literature review of the results of the theory and practice of SB, an analysis on different criteria was carried out, and graphic visualizations of the statistical results were made. Additionally, the results were analysed using the integrated approach of SE to study the correlations between the apexes of the triangle: SB—surface integrity (SI)—operational behaviour (OB). On this basis, relevant conclusions were drawn, and promising directions for future investigations of SB were outlined.