Authors:

Sydney Belk

Date Created:

Not specified

Course Title:

Professor:

Not specified

About Paper:

For metallurgists, quenching is a critical step in processing metals to achieve the desired strength of the material; however, common quenchants are toxic. Due to the necessity of quenching, specifically austempering, this study looks to find and possibly develop an alternative quenchant that is both sustainable and presents the optimal characteristics to allow metals to undergo austenitization. The development and fabrication of a quench apparatus was required to test oils according to ASTM D6710-21. With the collected data, a cooling curve was produced, specific to each quenching oil tested. This in combination with specific heat capacity obtained through a differential scanning calorimetry machine, degradation point obtained through thermogravimetric analysis, and flash point found using a flash point tester, allowed for a clear picture of each oil's potential as an alternative to the current industry quenchants. With thorough analysis and potential refining of oils complete, recommendations will be made for non-toxic quench oil replacements. The data collected will be placed in a catalog, providing a way to easily compare the characteristics of quenchants. Additional research and development are needed to yield more optimal alternatives for specific applications, as well as continuing to characterize additional quenchant candidates.

Source:

Purdue University / 2023

Topics:

No topics listed

Co-authors:

Sydney Belk