Effect of Quenching Temperature on the Distortion and Microstructure of Small Components

There are many sources of distortion. Manufacturing process, including initial forming, machining processes and grinding, all contribute to residual stress. A large source of residual stress and distortion is the heat treating and quenching step. In this study, small components of SAE 1074 are neutral hardened after stamping. Excessive distortion was observed on many components. A study was conducted to reduce the distortion of the heat treated components while maintaining proper hardness and microstructure.