New DEFORM-HT Heat Treating Simulation Software

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The new DEFORM-HT heat treating simulation software provides quantitative information on critical process and part-specific variables that has previously been unobtainable before, even with shop trials. It is the first heat treating simulation package that can fully integrate its results with related predictions for upstream/downstream operations, such as material production, forming, and machining. DEFORM-HT can predict a part’s internal microstructure and residual stresses, as well as distortion, quenching stress, and phase transformation. The software will be introduced and demonstrated at the September ASM show in Pittsburgh at the company’s booth #9400.

"DEFORM-HT is unique in its ability to integrate heat treating predictions with other simulations for material production, forging, and machining created in the broader DEFORM environment," says John Walters, vice president of Scientific Forming Technologies. "The standalone module can predict residual stress after heat treatment, along with simulated stress relaxation and aging. More important, it can relate those results to other manufacturing simulations to predict the distortion residual stresses might cause during machining, or show how residual stresses can affect performance during service life. Originally created as a research tool, this software is already being used commercially by industry leaders such as Bohler, General Electric, Ladish, PCC, Rolls Royce, Timet, Timken, and United Technologies."

DEFORM-HT is a standalone finite-element modeling tool that performs "virtual heat treating" on a computer in 2D or 3D, helping achieve an optimum balance of mechanical properties (strength vs. ductility), while avoiding quench cracks and minimizing distortion and residual stresses. It illustrates and quantifies the effects of process variation through sensitivity analyses, reducing the time and cost for heat-treat process development andtroubleshooting. A variety of heat treating processes can be modeled with DEFORM-HT, including normalizing, austenizing, carburizing, solution treating, quenching, tempering, aging, and stress relieving. It can predict phase transformation, phase volume fraction, distribution of hardness, case depth after carburizing, and grain size. The software can model an extensive variety of metals, including carbon steels, aluminum, titanium, and nickel-based alloys. Material models include elasto-plastic, thermal elasto-plastic, and creep.

DEFORM-HT runs under Windows XP/2000 or on popular UNIX workstations. It can be licensed as a 2D or 3D standalone system or as an add-on Microstructure Module for DEFORM-2D or DEFORM-3D. An intuitive graphical user interface makes the software extremely easy to use and training, support, and regular updates are provided by Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation. DEFORM-HT is one module in the DEFORM system. This integrated manufacturing simulator is capable of modeling the entire process, from primary material production through forming, heat treatment, machining, and product installation.

For more information contact John Walters, P.E., vice president of the Scientific Forming Technologies Corporation, at (614) 451-8330.