Wear resistance enhancement of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) by ball burnishing process

The objective of the research was to improve the wear resistance of titanium alloys by ball burnishing process. Burnishing process parameters such as burnishing speed, burnishing feed, burnishing force and number of pass were considered to minimize the specific wear rate and coefficient of friction. Taguchi optimization results revealed that burnishing force and number of pass were the significant parameters for minimizing the specific wear rate, whereas the burnishing feed and speed play important roles in minimizing the coefficient of friction. After burnishing surface microhardness increased from 340 to 405 Hv, surface roughness decreased from 0.45 to 0.12 μm and compressive residual stress were generated immediately below the burnished surface. The optimization results showed that specific wear rate decreased by 52%, whereas coefficient of friction was reduced by 64% as compared to the turned surface. The results confirm that, an improvement in the wear resistance of Ti-6Al-4V alloy has been achieved by the process of ball burnishing.