Controlling of Distortion by means of Quenching in adapted Jet Fields

Controlled temporal and/or spatial inhomogeneous (adapted) quenching within the heat treatment process creates the possibility of influencing the distortion of a workpiece. Suitable heat transfer conditions at the workpiece surfaces within the quenching process are realized by impressing and regulating of adjusted flexible flow fields on the basis of jet arrays inside liquid or gaseous media. For analysis of workpiece distortion in heat treatment, the locally asymmetric quenching process is analysed and modelwise described in the framework of the Collaborative Research Centre (SFB570) “Distortion Engineering” at the University of Bremen. Here the potential of measures for avoidance as well as reduction of distortion within the heat treatment process is appraised on the basis of simulation models. These model calculations are verified by experimental examinations on the asymmetric quenching of simple shaped parts like rings of SAE 52100 (100Cr6) and cylinders of AISI 5120 (20MnCr5) in the framework of flexible quenching conditions.