Cooling Rate Evaluation with a Small Nitrogen Gas Quench Cell and Hardness Jominy Results in Function of Steel and Quench Parameters

High pressure gas quenching (HPGQ) is frequently used as the quench method following Low Pressure Carburizing because it provides flexibility in the cooling performance through the control of gas pressure and fan speed. This presentation will review a recent study performed to analyze the achievable cooling rates from a small gas quench chamber in function of part size in a vacuum furnace system. As the main purpose of quenching is to achieve specific properties on the chosen steels, we will also discuss the selected parts’ steel chemistry to compare predicted Jominy curves and actual hardness - influenced by quench and sample parameters.