"Understanding Process Sensitivities in Press Quenching: An Integrated Approach"

Press quenching is a specialized quenching technique used to minimize the distortion of complex components such as spiral bevel gears and high quality bearing races. The quenching machine tooling is purposely designed to control out-of-round, flatness, and taper. Achieving final dimensional tolerances is typically accomplished through a trial and error process, where the incoming part machined dimensions are adjusted based upon measurement data taken from previously die-quench processed parts. In press quenching, dimensional restrictions add complexity to our understanding of the combined effects of thermal and mechanical process sensitivities on the resulting stresses. In this investigation, quench cracking of an industrial AISI 52100 bearing ring is evaluated through experiments and heat treatment process modeling using DANTE. The effects of quench rate, die load pulsing, and several other process variables are examined experimentally and/or analytically to illustrate how they impact the resulting stresses generated during the press quenching operation.