# Microstructure and Microhardness Research of Steel 304 After Forming Partially Regular Reliefs by Ball Burnishing Operation

## TL;DR

This study examines how forming specific surface patterns on steel 304 affects its microhardness and microstructure.

## Contribution

The paper introduces a novel method of using partially regular reliefs to enhance surface microhardness through controlled plastic deformation.

## Key findings

- Higher groove density in the third type of relief increases microhardness due to mutual surface strengthening.
- Feed rate and relief type significantly influence the microstructure and microhardness of the deformed layer.
- Regression equations were derived to model the relationship between deformation parameters and microhardness.

## Abstract

The influence of regular relief formation modes on the microhardness of the formed groove surface near the apex at the bottom of the groove has been studied. It has been established that the rate of plastic deformation, expressed as the feed rate of the deforming element, has a significant impact on the plastic deformation mechanism, and the microstructure of the formed subsurface layer, as well as on the microhardness of the groove surface. The influence of the type of partially regular reliefs on the degree of plastic deformation was also investigated. It was found that the third type of partially regular relief, which has the highest groove density, provides higher microhardness values than the first and second types. This is explained by the significantly greater density of these type of partially regular relief grooves, which exert a mutual strengthening effect on the surface during formation. The experimental study conducted enabled the derivation of regression equations describing the influence of the feed rate of the deforming element and the type of partially regular relief created on the surface microhardness beneath the lateral ridges and the bottoms of the plastically deformed traces.