Enhancing surface properties and corrosion resistance of API 5L X52 steel through orthogonal ball burnishing

Surface engineering involves using various technologies to modify the surface and near-surface areas of a material to enable it to perform different functions from the bulk of the material. Two primary methods of surface engineering are surface coatings and surface modification. Orthogonal ball burnishing is a process that improves certain surface integrity properties of materials through superficial plastic deformation. This study focuses on the effect of this treatment and the influence of its parameters on the physico-geometric surface characteristics of API 5L X52 steel. Burnishing tests were conducted with four main parameters: burnishing force (Py), feed rate (f), spindle speed (N), and number of passes (i). The analysis revealed an appropriate combination of burnishing parameters that led to a 98% reduction in surface roughness and a 42% increase in surface microhardness. A multi-objective optimization of roughness and microhardness after burnishing yielded optimal parameters. Furthermore, a multifactorial experimental design demonstrated that corrosion resistance increased by 318%.