Enhancing Surface Integrity and Tribological Performance through Progressive Burnishing Techniques

Surface integrity is crucial in assessing the performance and durability of components in many industries such as aerospace, automotive, and biomedical engineering. Burnishing, a cold-working technique, has proven to be an efficient and environmentally sustainable approach for strengthening surface quality and improving mechanical qualities, including hardness, fatigue strength, and wear resistance. This analysis examines the progress in burnishing techniques from 2000-2024, emphasizing breakthroughs in ball burnishing, ultrasonic burnishing, vibratory burnishing, and cryogenic burnishing. The paper also investigates the impact of burnishing on surface integrity, microstructural enhancement, and the augmentation of mechanical properties. This review analyzes recent research on process parameters, tool innovations, and surface treatment methodologies, clarifying how burnishing reduces surface roughness and enhances hardness, while suggesting future research directions in this domain.