Experimental study on the mechanical effects of the vibration-assisted ball-burnishing process

Burnishing processes are effective methods for treating pieces to increase their durability and roughness. Studies reveal that traditional burnishing can be strongly improved with the assistance of external energy sources. A vibrating module was attached to a classical burnishing tool and was tested on aluminum specimens to find the optimal vibration-assisted burnishing parameters. Vibration caused roughness improvements of the specimens and decreased the processing time by fivefold compared to traditional burnishing. At the tested frequency, no significant consequences were found on hardness and residual stresses