Title: Experimental determination of the temperature evolution within the quenchant during immersion quenching in still water

Authors: Bernardo Hernández-Morales; Ayax López Valdéz; Héctor J. Vergara-Hernández; Gustavo Sánchez Sarmiento; Analía Gastón; George E. Totten

Addresses: Facultad de Química, Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de la InvestigaciónCientífica s/n, México, D.F., 04510, Mexico. ' Facultad de Química, Departamento de Ingeniería Metalúrgica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Circuito de la InvestigaciónCientífica s/n, México, D.F., 04510, Mexico. ' Posgrado de Ciencias en Metalurgia, Instituto Tecnológico de Morelia, Av. Tecnológico # 1500, Colonia Lomas de Santiaguito, Morelia, 58120, Michoacán, Mexico. ' Facultad de Ingeniería, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Ave. Paseo Colón 850, C1063ACV, Buenos Aires, Argentina. ' Facultad de Ciencia Exactas, Ingeniería y Agrimensura, CIC-Universidad Nacional de Rosario, AvenidaPellegrini 250, S200BTP, Rosario, Argentina. ' G.E. Totten & Associates, LLC, P.O. Box 30108, Seattle, WA 98113, USA

Abstract: Experimentally, steel quenching processing is studied by inserting thermocouples into a probe or actual part to determine cooling curves. However, this is not always possible. To explore the possibilities and limitations of a technique based on measuring the temperature increase of the quenchant in the vicinity of the cooling metal surface, experimental work with a conical-end cylindrical AISI 304 stainless steel test probe quenched in still water at 60°C, with thermocouples located within the probe and in the quenchant, was conducted. The thermal response in the quenchant was quite sensitive to the proximity of the thermocouple to the surface of the metal as well as to the thermocouple position in the vertical direction. The quenchant volume must also be considered carefully.

Keywords: cooling curves; Kuyucak method; calorimeter; quenching performance; cooling power; immersion quenching; steel quenching; temperature increase; quenchant temperature; stainless steel; thermocouples; quenchant volume.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMMP.2011.044363

International Journal of Microstructure and Materials Properties, 2011 Vol.6 No.6, pp.444 - 454

Published online: 19 Dec 2011 *

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