Improved production of automotive parts by intensive quench processing

Abstract

Intensive quenching offers enormous potential advantages to the automotive component and process
designer, including: possible elimination of more environmentally hazardous petroleum oils and aqueous
polymer quenchants, elimination of fire hazards associated with the use of petroleum oil quenchants,
reduction or elimination of cracking, the possibilities of using less expensive steels in component design,
dramatic improvement in properties such as fatigue and impact strength, and reduction or elimination
of carburizing times. In this paper, an overview of intensive quench processing is provided.
Various case histories illustrating the use of intensive quenching to replace
conventional quenching process is also provided.