Alloy-quenchprobe a new tool for in-situ estimation of heat transfer coefficient during quenching of hardenable steels

This paper reports the development of a new portable tool for estimating heattransfer parameters, hardness and microstructure variation during quenching ofhardenable grades of steel under actual conditions existing in the plant In a single test it combines the influences of all the known factors like bath temperature, agitation, contamination, oxidation, steel grade etc. on the performance of quench media. Developed in the research laboratories of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, the software has been thoroughly tested The software combines the inverse conduction heat transfer (IHCP) with austenite decomposition models starting with TTT diagram for the specific chemical composition of the steel The hardware is a unique design (patent pending) which makes the test easy and simple under plant conditions, tested extensively in industrial environment The heat transfer data obtained from the use of this tool can be effectively used for quenching distortion analysis of complex shaped forged and cast components, using other commercially available software. The Reference QuenchProbe, made of the same grade of steel as the quenched component can also be used for the selection of quenchantfor the specific steel grade and for bath maintenance. Realizing the potential for global application of the technology, TherMet Solutions Pvt Ltd, a Company incubated at IIT Madras India, was registered in Bangalore, India in 2010 for commercializing the product The product has been demonstrated successfully at many leading heat treating industries throughout India.