Title: Overview of distortion and residual stress due to quench processing. Part I: factors affecting quench distortion

Authors: Lauralice de C.F. Canale, George E. Totten

Addresses: Departamento de Materiais, Automobilistica e Aeronautica da EESC, Universidade de Sao Paulo, USP Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil. ' Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA

Abstract: The most frequently cited heat treating problem is distortion control, particularly distortion control problems related to the non-uniform thermal gradients that typically accompany quench processing. The roles of various factors affecting quenching distortion and steel cracking including phase transformation behaviour of steel, retained austenite, quench media and process selection, quench severity, and the importance of optimising quench uniformity are discussed. Finally, quench process simulation methodology and the potentially enormous benefits that they provide in system and process design methodology are discussed, as is the use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis in quench system design.

Keywords: quench distortion; quality control; energy costs; modelling; simulation; quenchant selection; quenchant use; residual stress; induction hardening; case hardening; grinding; heat treatment; distortion control; computational fluid dynamics; CFD; quench system design; steel cracking.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMPT.2005.007941

International Journal of Materials and Product Technology, 2005 Vol.24 No.1/2/3/4, pp.4 - 52

Published online: 06 Oct 2005 *

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