Numerical Determination of Target Values and Process Parameters of Case Hardening, Taking into Account the Local Stress State of Failure-Relevant Construction Details

Abstract

Abstract Through the thermochemical process of case hardening, the local material strength of steel components can be increased. In addition to the increase in stress due to the notch effect, the shape of construction details also has an effect on key component properties after case hardening, such as edge hardness and case hardening depth. The component-related specification of target values for case hardening is currently based on empirical values or expert knowledge. In addition, the effect of design details during case hardening is not taken into account when specifying process parameters in the control and regulation software of case hardening systems. This article presents a concept for the numerical determination of target values and process parameters for case hardening based on the stress state of the component. Compared to the empirically based determination of target values and process parameters for case hardening, the application of the concept makes it possible to adapt the case hardening of components to their stress in the failure range and thus significantly increase the energy and resource efficiency of case hardening.