Enhancing the surface integrity of Ti-6Al-4V alloy through cryogenic burnishing

Burnishing is a chipless machining process that modifies the surface integrity by severe plastic deformation (SPD) of the burnished material. The application of cryogenics during the burnishing process acts to rapidly cool the burnished work material; thus, leading to surface modification. In this research work cryogenic burnishing was performed to produce the SPD layer to obtain improved properties in Ti-6Al-4V alloy. In the SPD layer produced by cryogenic burnishing, increased hardness, refined grain structure, and a drastically improved surface finish, along with compressive residual stresses are achieved. The cryogenic burnishing of Ti-6Al-4V alloy was shown to be superior to flood-cooled and dry burnishing in terms of surface integrity and the likely functional performance of components during the service life of such components.