Analysis of Quenching Process Implemented in Automobile Industry and to Learn the Factors Affecting the Microstructure and Resulting Hardness

Abstract

Abstract: Quenching is the rapid cooling of a workpiece air to obtain certain material properties. A type of heat treating, quenching prevents undesired low-temperature processes, such as phase transformations. It is done by reducing the window of time during which these reactions are both thermodynamically favourable, and kinetically accessible; for instance, quenching can reduce the crystal grain size of both metallic and plastic materials, increasing their hardness. The process of quenching is a progression, beginning with heating the sample. Most materials are heated to between 815 and 900 °C (1,500 to 1,650 °F), with careful attention paid to keeping temperatures throughout the workpiece uniform. Minimizing uneven heating and overheating is important to obtain desired material properties. The primary goal of this project was to study the different martensitic structures after quenching process and its resulting hardness. In most of the automobile industries Vickers Hardness is checked for the Hardness test. In order to obtain optimum hardness, the respective BIW part should be properly Heat treated. If heat treatment is not done properly then it results in lowering the resulting hardness of the quenched part. Industry tries not only to achieve Martensitic microstructure but also great strength to the part with optimum hardness.