High-pressure gas quenching in cold chambers for increased cooling capacity
- Swedish Institute of Production Engineering Research, Moelndal (Sweden)
Gas quenching for the hardening of steel parts is a lower-pollution alternative to quenching in quenchants such as oil or salt. As the surfaces of the cooled parts remain clean after gas quenching, there is no need to wash them after heat treatment, which reduces the consumption of oils and detergents. The fire risk and ventilation requirements of oil quenching are eliminated. In addition, some trials have shown that gas quenching has a positive effect on distortion, representing a saving in finishing work and thus a reduction in costs. Today, gas quenching is used almost solely in vacuum furnaces. Quenching is normally performed in the same chamber as heating, which means that besides quenching the batch, the quenching system must also remove heat from the heating elements and insulation of the furnace. Previous trials performed by IVF have shown that gas quenching with helium of ball bearing and carburizing steels (and other steels) in sizes up to 25 mm at pressures up to 20 bar in a vacuum furnace can achieve quenching rates and hardnesses similar to those achieved by hot quenching oils. This quenching performance is not, however, capable of dealing with larger sizes or lower-alloy steels. At IVF`s request, ALD Vacuum Technologies GmbH has developed a cold high-pressure gas quenching chamber that is independent of the furnace. As a result, there is no need to cool insulation or heating elements. Quenching can be carried out in the chamber at pressures of up to 40 bar for helium or up to 10 bar for nitrogen. The quenching chamber has been supplied to IVF, and has been used for experimental quenching of steel test pieces and components. Temperatures have been recorded by using some Inconel 600 test probes, {phi} 12,5 x 60 mm, with thermocouples in their centers.
- OSTI ID:
- 484259
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-961140-; TRN: 97:000168-0021
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 2. international conference on quenching and the control of distortion, Cleveland, OH (United States), 4-7 Nov 1996; Other Information: PBD: 1996; Related Information: Is Part Of 2nd International conference on quenching and the control of distortion; Totten, G.E.; Howes, M.A.H.; Sjoestrom, S.J.; Funatani, Kiyoshi [eds.]; PB: 652 p.
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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