Modelling of the Effect of Slide Burnishing on the Surface Roughness of 42CrMo4 Steel Shafts

Slide burnishing is one of the methods of metal processing that use the phenomenon of surface plastic cold deformation. This article presents the results of a study investigating the effect of slide burnishing on the surface roughness of 42CrMo4 steel shafts. The burnishing process was performed with the use of a polycrystalline diamond tip tool. Before burnishing, the samples were subjected to turning on the toolmaker’s lathe. Investigations were conducted based on PS/DS-P:Ha3 Hartley’s plan, which makes it possible to define the regression equation in the form of a second-degree polynomial. Moreover, the artificial neural network (ANN) models have been used to predict the surface roughness of shafts in the burnishing process. The input process parameters considered include the applied pressure, burnishing rate, and feed rate. In all analyzed burnishing cases, the value of the mean surface roughness was reduced. The differences between the experimental data and Hartley’s model do not exceed 24%. The best representation of Hartley’s model was obtained for the burnishing parameters: feed rate f = 0.32 mm/rev, applied pressure P = 130 N, and burnishing speed v = 180 rpm. ANN models were the best predictors of roller surface roughness of the shafts. With the Pearson’s correlation R² coefficient = 0.99974, the values of prediction errors did not exceed 0.0016249.