HEAT TREATMENT SIMULATION OF SAE 1060 STEEL USING POLYACRYLATE AQUEOUS SOLUTION AS QUENCHING MEDIA

Simulations of heat treatment processes can help predict both mechanical and microstructural properties of metals. However, simulation results are dependent on process inputs such as, material, specimen shape, heating and cooling cycles and cooling curves characteristics, among others. Quenching fluids such as polymers are still under investigation and need to be characterized to improve the accuracy of the simulation results. This work aims to contribute to the optimization of the simulation process in the heat treatment industry. Cooling curves of a polyacrylate-based polymer solution at a concentration of 9 and 12 %, using an axial flow rate of 1.30 L/min and a fluid temperature of 45 °C were acquired and analyzed. Air quenching was also used to compare the polymer quenching conditions. The specimens made of SAE 1060 steel were designed for a laboratory-scale immersion quenching system; a 1 mm diameter thermocouple was introduced to measure cooling curves at 2 mm from the specimen surface. The results of the cooling curves (heat transfer coefficient) were used as boundary conditions in the simulation of this process. The commercial software SIMHEAT® from Transvalor was used to predict mechanical and microstructural properties. Finally, physical tests were performed on the specimens for the polymer and air quenching conditions using the same parameters as the cooling curves to validate the results provided by the simulation.