Simulation And Control Of Tool Steel Quenching Process

Tool steels are widely used materials for making elements of metals, polymers, ceramics and composites. Inflated consumer expectations of contemporary civilization entail the manufacture of better and better tools, accompanied by reduced energy consumption. The application of simulators and controls of technological processes enables the design of optimum processes without the need for time consuming and costly experimental research. The present article is devoted to a tool for simulation and control of tool steel quenching in gases (helium, nitrogen, argon, hydrogen), both at negative as well as at high pressures. The simulator takes as its input the quenching parameters, the individual characteristics of the furnace and the material, dimensions and shape of the treated workpiece, yielding in effect a cooling curve and the forecast post-quench hardness. The monitoring program, which constitutes an integral part of the tool, works on-line with the industrial equipment, thus allowing continuous control of the quenching process with respect to the simulation in progress. In the subsequent sections the article presents the operation of the simulator and the monitor, the field of practical applications thereof, and describes a practical application working with an industrial furnace. Particular attention is drawn to the verification stage of the mathematical model and the results of experimental processes of tool steel quenching.