Optimization of Burnishing Parameters by Taguchi Based GRA Method of AA 6061 Aluminum Alloy

Abstract Surface modifications as well as surface treatments play important role to enhance service life of many critical parts of different materials that are used for engineering applications. Burnishing process imposes cold working on the part surface due to movement and rearrangement of surface layers by action of roller burnishing tool. Present work focuses on optimization by using the multi-response for roller burnishing process for an optimum parametric combination to yield favorable surface roughness and surface hardness using the Grey relational analysis and Taguchi method on aluminum alloy 6061 work material. Because objectives of responses were to minimize surface roughness and to maximize surface hardness. Experimental runs which were based on an orthogonal array by Taguchi method have been used to derive objective functions to optimize within experimental domain. The selection of the objective functions have been done in relation of roller burnishing process parameters; burnishing force, burnishing speed and number of passes and feed is constant. To solve optimization problem the Taguchi approach with grey relational analysis is applied. The significance of the parameters on characteristics of the roller burnishing process have been evaluated quantitatively with the analysis of variance method. Optimal results were validated by confirmation experiments.