Quenching is one of the most fundamentally complex processes in the heat treatment of metals, and it is something on which mechanical properties and distortion of engineering components depend. With chapters written by the most respected international experts in the field, Quenching Theory and Technology, Second Edition presents the most authoritative, exhaustive, and recent findings in this vital area. Understanding and control of quenching and quenchants is a critical constant in all well established and emerging heat treatment process technology. The collection of up-to-date knowledge in this book is the latest outcome from continuing formal and informal discussions by experts within the framework of the International Federation for Heat Treatment and Surface Engineering (IFHTSE).

It covers topics including:

• Thermo-and fluid dynamic principles of heat transfer during cooling
• Wetting kinematics
• Residual stresses after cooling
• Computer modeling and prediction of microstructure transformation
• Hardness distribution
• Stress-strain and distortion

With revised and updated content from the first edition, this book adds coverage of important technological developments. Although the primary focus continues to be on the quenching of steel, it also details quenching of aluminum and titanium alloys, quench severity of selected vegetable oils, gas quenching, intensive quenching, and simulation of quenching. Presenting the most recent findings in this area, this essential piece of literature is a substantial contribution to the general field of the thermal processing of metals. It is useful not only for specialists in heat treatment practice, but also those in higher education or numerous specialized courses and seminars worldwide.

Heat treatment of metallic alloys constitutes an important step within the production process. The heat treatment process itself is considered as a cycle of heating the workpieces to a predetermined temperature, keeping them at this temperature for the time period required, and cooling them to room temperature in an appropriate way. The process of heating and keeping workpieces at the required temperature is now adays weil mastered and mostly automatized. The process of cooling or quenching which determines actually the resulting properties, is handicapped with many physical and technical uncertainties. Good results can already be obtained predominantly by using empirically based practice. But increased demands on the properties of the pro ducts as weIl as demands on safety and environment conditions of the quenching media require efforts to investigate the details of the quenching process and to transfer the results of the research to practical application. Advances in the knowledge about quenching processes have been achieved by modem applied thermodynamics especially by the heat and mass transfer researches; further the application of computer technology was helpful to new approaches in quenching pro cesses. Special emphases has been given to: - The theory of heat transfer and heat exchange intensification during quenching - Wetting kinematics - Residual stresses after quenching - Determination of the quenching intensity - Prediction of microstructural transformation and hardness distribution after quenching, the latter with some limitations."