Coupled CFD and Part Distortion Modeling for Gas Quenching Applications

Manufacturers regularly employ finite-element process modeling tools to the simulation of heat treatment applications, such as quenching. These tools may utilize thermal, mechanical and microstructural calculations in the analysis of part distortion and residual stresses. Heat treatment modeling workflows are challenged by the requirement for user-provided heat transfer boundary conditions, which vary based on part geometry and process parameters. Representative heat transfer coefficients are typically reversed-engineered using experimental thermocouple data, thermal simulations and inverse optimization methods.

The paper will present ‘state of the art’ developments integrating computational fluid dynamics (CFD) capabilities into the heat treat modeling environment of the DEFORM™ system. It will describe how CFD and thermal modeling of a quench medium is being coupled with deformation and heat transfer modeling of a part through the use of CFD-calculated, local heat transfer boundary conditions. Studies verifying the implemented CFD methods against published literature will be summarized. Application examples will show how residual stress and distortion in parts, during single-part or batch gas quenching, is made possible by the coupled CFD and thermo-mechanical process modeling tools.