Finite Element Modeling of Quenching Process Coupled with Phase Transformation Effect

Abstract

This paper presents a sequential coupled thermo-metallurgical-mechanical finite element model for low alloy steel quenching which can be used to predict temperature history, evolution of microstructure, internal stress and distortion. The main efforts are to develop a series of subroutines which consider the latent heat released due to phase transformation and numerical implementation of a thermo-metallurgical-mechanical constitute equation. The effectiveness of developed computational method is confirmed by a immersion quenching. Simulations of immersion quenching demonstrate that transformation induce plasticity has significant effect of the evolution of residual stress, distortion and can not be neglected for low alloy steel during immersion quenching.

Effects of vacuum oil quenching on distortion of 42CrMo Navy C-ring

“…Several researchers have studied the distortion behaviour of components during immersion quenching using the FEM. Sun et al [15] proposed a sequentially coupled thermo-metallurgical-mechanical finite element (FE) model for low alloy steel quenching and observed that the transformation-induced plasticity significantly affected the distortion. López-García et al [16] analysed the effect of the immersion rate on the distortion and residual stresses in quenched steel using the DEFORM software.…”