Salt Quench Hardening: An Overview

This presentation will provide the general audience with an overview of salt quench hardening, the pros and cons of working with salt, the benefits of salt quenching, and some of the various processes as well as types of equipment used when working with salt quench applications.

We will answer the question “why salt?” by comparing it to traditional oil quench applications, by considering the characteristics of salt and how it promotes hardenability, ductility, tensile and yield strength, and by looking at the benefits of salt for distortion control, heat extraction, ease of washing, and the “green” side of recycling.

We will address equipment layout configurations and the ancillary pieces of equipment required for an efficient operation, based on production requirements with a consideration of the specific part weight, geometry and annual volume. We will touch on NFPA guidelines and general safety practices.

Finally, we will look at various processes associated with quenching in salt – austempering and marquenching, and as we conclude the presentation, we will discuss how material and process changes can lead to engineering optimization opportunities for “light-weighting”, mechanical feature enhancements, and process reduction.