Effects of Flow Fields on the Distortion of a Gear

Racking of parts is a critical part of the heat treating and quenching operation.  The application of the wrong method of racking can result in excessive distortion even when high quality quenchants are used.  In this study, two geometries were used: a simple gear blank and a fully configured gear.  Two orientations were examined, parallel and perpendicular to the flow field.  Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (FLUENT™), the resultant flow fields were determined for each of the orientations.  Once the flow fields were determined, the resultant heat transfer coefficients were mapped to the surface of the gear blank and the gear.  Using the finite element based software, DANTE^®, the distortion of the gear was predicted.