Distortion and residual stress development during quenching

In this column, I will discuss the different types of precipitation hardening stainless steels and discuss their physical metallurgy. Introduction The problem of distortion is universal...

Effects of prior microstructure on distortion

In this column, I will discuss the effects prior microstructure plays in the distortion response during heat treatment. Introduction In the typical manufacturing process to manufacture...

Filtration for oil and polymer quenchants

In this column, I will discuss the different types of filtration that are available for cleaning oil and polymer quenchants. Introduction As an oil is used,...

The meta-stable microstructure of martensite

In this column, we will discuss martensite and its formation. Heat treating steel involves heating the component into the austenite range. Once the part is...

Polymer quenchants – Sodium Polyacrylate (ACR)

In previous columns, I discussed three different types of polymer quenchants: PAG, PEOX, and PVP. In this column, I will discuss the use of...

Polymer quenchants – polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP)

Fourth in a series > Polymer quenchants, first introduced in the 1970s, have captured an increasingly large market share of quenchants at the expense of oil...

Polymer quenchants – polyethyl oxazoline (PEOX)

Third in a series » Polymer quenchants, first introduced in the 1970s, have captured an increasingly large market share of quenchants at the expense of...

Polymer quenchants – polyalkylene glycol quenchants

Second in a series > Polymer quenchants, first introduced in the 1970s, have captured an increasingly large market share of quenchants at the expense of...

Polymer quenchants for steel heat treatment

Polymer quenchants, first introduced in the 1970s, have captured an increasingly large market share of quenchants at the expense of oil quenchants. In a...

Microbiological contamination and biostability in polymer quenchants

Biological issues such as bacteria and fungi can be a major issue when using polymer quenchants. Bacteria and fungi float in the air. When...

Determining the minimum cooling rate required for quenchants

In this column, I will illustrate a method to determine if a cooling rate from a cooling curve is adequate to achieve required properties. Introduction When...

Calculating quench tank size for continuous furnaces

When measuring the temperature rise of an unheated quench tank, the equation used to determine the size of a quench tank is: Where Mm is...

Sizing tanks for batch immersion quenching

In this column, I will demonstrate how to calculate the size of a quench tank used for batch immersion quenching. Introduction The size of a batch...

Determining equivalent concentration for polymer quenchants

In this column, I will discuss a method to determine equivalent concentration when selecting alternative quenchants using the Segerberg Hardening Power (HP) for polymer...

Heat-resistant alloys used in heat treating

In this column, I will discuss the different types of heat-resistant alloys used in heat treating. Introduction Heat-resistant alloys are crucial to heat-treating operations. They are...

Base oil groups for coolants, quenchants explained

In this column, I will discuss the different groups of oil used in coolants, quenchants, and other oil-based products. Introduction Many products that are used in...

Determining concentration by weight and volume

In this column, I will discuss the different types of concentration percentages and how to convert them to each other. This is really a...

Foaming in polymer quenchants and metal working fluids

In this column, I will discuss the causes of foaming in polymer quenchants and metalworking fluids. We will also discuss the different types of...

Nitrogen-methanol atmospheres – storage and control

In this column, I will discuss the storage and control of methanol to create nitrogen methanol atmospheres. Introduction Nitrogen-methanol atmospheres are used frequently when natural gas...

Use of nitrogen-methanol endothermic atmospheres

In this column, I will discuss the use of nitrogen-methanol endothermic atmospheres for the heat treatment of steel. Introduction When heat treating steels in a typical...