Experimental and Computational Study of the Quenching of Carbon Steel

An investigation of the quenching of 1080 carbon steel cylinders has been carried out to determine the validity of a quenching process model for carbon steels. The process model included a description of the austenite-pearlite and austenite-martensite transformations in carbon steels, temperature-dependent material properties, and an elastic-plastic stress analysis. The model was simulated using the finite element method (FEM). An experimental study of the quenching of 1080 steel cylinders in water and two types of polymeric quenchants has also been carried out. The temperatures at three points within the cylinder during quenching were measured using thermocouples. The hardness and residual stress distributions along a cross-section of the quenched cylinders were determined using a Rockwell hardness test and an X-ray diffraction technique, respectively. The temperature-time histories, residual stress, and hardness distributions predicted from the FEM simulation of the quenching model were found to be in good agreement with the corresponding measurements. The quenching process simulation described in the study appears to be a promising tool for the design of heat-treatment process parameters for carbon steels.