Application of Taguchi Technique to Study Tribological Properties of Roller-Burnished 36CrNiMo4 Steel

The purpose of this work was to study the effect of roller burnishing process on tribological properties of 36CrNiMo4 steel. The experiments were performed under dry and starved lubrication contact conditions. The influence of selected parameters such as applied load, sliding speed, and sliding distance on the coefficient of friction and wear volume was investigated. The Taguchi technique was used to estimate the parameters significantly affecting the tribological properties. The levels of tested input factors were as follows: applied load—5, 10, and 15 N, sliding speed—0.24, 0.48, and 0.72 m/s, and sliding distance—160, 282, and 404 m. The results revealed that load was the most dominating factor that affects the wear volume and the coefficient of friction. The influence of other input factors was smaller. Regression analysis was also performed to predict tribological behavior. The results demonstrated good agreement between experimental and predicted results. The worn-out samples were analyzed using SEM to reveal the wear mechanism.