Improving Surface Quality in Honing Low-Carbon Steels Pre-treated by Hydrogen Absorption

Abstract

One of the most important tasks of technical progress in the field of mechanical engineering is to improve the reliability and durability of machines and mechanisms. Its solution is closely connected with the improvement of technological methods and means of finishing parts, i.e., with the technological provision of high accuracy of their geometric shape, low surface roughness, better physical and mechanical condition of the surface layers of metal, and a reduction in the time of the technological process. It is at the final operations that the surface layer of the parts is formed, which determines their performance properties. Currently, for finishing large-sized hydro- and pneumatic cylinders made of low-carbon cold-resistant perlite and stainless austenitic steels of the oil and chemical industry. Rolling is often used in production instead of honing. However, the rolling of the holes gives the lowest dimensional accuracy and geometric shapes. During the rolling process, it is possible to re-seal the surface, which leads to the formation of microcracks and destruction of the surface during operation. In the process of honing such steels, bulges, and metal flows are formed, and the roughness increases, which is a consequence of the high plasticity of the material being processed. In this case, to ensure the quality of the treated surface, it is necessary to apply multiple machine–manual finishing or polishing, which increases the complexity of finishing operations. Therefore, it is necessary to improve the process.