Application of Polymeric Quenchants in Heat Treatment of Steels

Aqueous polymer quenchants are being used increasingly in steel heat treatment industries as a substitution for conventional quenchants. By adjusting the quench parameters of the polymeric media, it is possible to achieve desirable microstructure and mechanical properties in addition to reduction in distortion and cracking. In this work, Polyalkylene Glycol (PAG) aqueous solution was used as the quenching medium in the heat treatment of four grades of steels produced by Iran Alloy Steel Company including 1.7227, 1.6582, 1.1191 and 1.7765. In addition, the resultant mechanical properties of this procedure were compared with the properties of the specimens quenched in the conventional quenchants. The results showed that using polymer-based quenchants, the distortion and cracking can be minimized compared to water quenching. On the other hand, the mechanical properties which are not achievable by oil quenching can be obtained using polymeric quench medium.