Numerical analysis of residual stresses induced by low plasticity burnishing

The key parameters in the Low Plasticity Burnishing (LPB) process, such as appropriate burnishing load, burnishing ball size and material properties, need to be determined in order to achieve an optimal residual stress field for the geometry appropriate to the aircraft engine component. For this purpose, a three-dimensional non-linear contact finite element model is proposed to simulate the LPB process and to predict the effects of those parameters on the residual stress field. The constitutive model used in the finite element analysis has been developed from the cyclic stress/strain response obtained from experimental measurements on the actual material. The prediction of the LPB-induced residual stresses by the finite element model appears to agree reasonably well with X-ray diffraction measurements.