Numerical simulation of heat treatment and its use in prevention of quench cracks

Cracking occasionally occurs during quenching of steel parts. It can be prevented by careful selection of quench medium, steel chemistry and structure design. The objective of this work is to use a numerical model to study the influences of steel chemistry, quench severity and part geometry on formation of residual stress, and quench cracks during heat treatment. This paper focuses on describing how residual stress is developed during quenching by using a numerical heat treating simulation tool QSIM (Quench SIMulation). It provides an insightful view on when, where, and how stresses generated during a quenching process lead to cracking. Finally, methods to prevent quench cracking are studied. It provides an integrated numerical simulation tool for pro-active elimination of quench cracking during the planning and designing stages.