Simulation of Quenched Japanese Short Swords Made of Several Kinds of Materials

Results of quenching of Japanese swords made of several kinds of materials are presented. The short swords of the same shape are forged and quenched in the same condition by a sword master organized by a project of mainly Hitachi Metals Co., Ltd. by use of nine kinds of steels. They are traditional Japanese steels taken from different part of KERA, made by TATARA system and classical steels in addition to modern steels with different chemical compositions. Quenching simulation is carried out by developed code, COSMAP, to obtain the difference in HAMON, indicating martensite distribution, SORI or bending mode and residual stresses on the surface of the swords. Discussions are presented on the comparison with the experimental residual stresses measured by X-ray diffraction technique.