Thermo-elasto-plastic finite element analysis of quenching process of carbon steel

Quenching is one of manufacturing processes used for improving mechanical properties such as strength, hardness, and wear/fatigue resistances of the mechanical components for automobiles, aircrafts and machines subjected to high load and impact. Due to temperature variation and phase transformation during the quenching process, dimensional change of the steel specimen takes place. Thus, a three-dimensional thermo-elastic-plastic finite element (FE) program was developed and used for predicting the dimensional change and stress distribution according to carbon content and variations of the temperature and volume fraction of each phase generated within the steel specimen. In order to validate the simulation program developed in this study, FE analyses of quenching of the cylindrical eutectoid and hypoeutectoid steels were carried out. It was found out that the numerically obtained values of temperature and stress distributions were in good agreement with experimental results available in the literature. It was found out from this study that the three-dimensional thermo-elastic-plastic FE program developed can be useful in investigating the processing parameters for the quenching process.