Finite element analysis of the steel quenching process: Temperature field and solid–solid phase change

This paper deals with a finite element analysis of the steel quenching process; regarding the transient temperature field and the thermally induced solid–solid phase transformations. All the process steps, i.e. heating, holding, and cooling, have been considered, modeling both the austenite formation and decomposition and taking into account nucleation and growth processes. The final hardness distribution into the quenched sample has been predicted according to the rule of mixtures, taking into account the chemical composition of the processing material, the final distribution of each phase and the local cooling rate.