Surface Quality and Environmental Impact Analysis of Ball Burnishing on Al8090 Aluminum-Lithium Alloy

This study investigates the optimization of the ball burnishing process for Al8090 aluminum-lithium alloy, focusing on surface quality, mechanical properties, and sustainability metrics. A mixed-design L18 Taguchi experimental approach was employed to evaluate the effects of three critical parameters: burnishing force, feed rate, and number of passes under two lubrication conditions-dry and minimum quantity lubrication (MQL). Surface roughness, Brinell hardness, power and energy consumption, and carbon emissions were measured to assess technical and environmental performance. The results revealed that the MQL environment significantly improved surface roughness, achieving the lowest Ra value of 0.562 mu m with a force of 200 N, a feed rate of 0.05 mm/rev, and four passes. In contrast, the highest Brinell hardness (43.6 HB) was observed in dry conditions with a force of 100 N, a feed rate of 0.1 mm/rev, and two passes. Energy consumption and carbon emissions were minimized in the MQL condition, with the lowest energy consumption recorded as 0.0169 kWh and corresponding carbon emissions of 0.0084 kg CO2. These findings highlight the trade-offs between surface quality, hardness, and sustainability, providing valuable insights for optimizing the ball burnishing process for advanced materials like Al8090.