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Quench Hardening and Tempering

Thermal quench hardening treatments confer hardness and high strength on materials, while improving shock and fatigue resistance by adequate tempering.
As its name indicates, quench hardening is an operation that consists of cooling a ferrous product faster than in calm air.

 

Treatment reserved for light alloyed steels -1045, 4130, W1 – which need this medium to attain the characteristics sought. Since the cooling rate in water is very high, this treatment involves major risks of distortion, or even cracking.

Used for low alloyed steels – 1018, 1045, C12L14, 4140, 4340, 8620, 9310, 52100 – or tool steels, such as O1. Thermetco uses controlled atmosphere furnaces to guarantee quality work without oxidation and without decarburization of the parts.

This treatment is mainly used on steels with dimensions greater than the capacity of vacuum or oil furnaces. Examples: stainless steels 410, 420, 431 and tool steels D2, H13. At Thermetco, we have the possibility of treating parts with maximum dimensions of 10’ x 20’ x 76’’ H.

This type of treatment is essentially intended for tool steels – A2, D2, H13, H21, M2, S7, T1 – and martensitic stainless steels – 410, 420, 431, 440.
Thermetco uses vacuum furnaces with variable speed cooling (1 to 12 bars) and nitrogen or argon as a cooling gas.
To supplement vacuum cooling, we are capable of performing cryogenic treatments and nitriding treatments.

Quench Hardening Water Hardening Oil Hardening Quench in Air Cool Vacum Hardening
1045 ✔ ✔
1050 ✔
1070 ✔ ✔
1080 ✔ ✔
4130-AMS 6350, 6356, 6370, 6373 ✔ ✔
4130-AMS 6381, 6382, 6390, 6395 ✔
4340-AMS 5331, 6359, 6414, 6415 ✔ ✔ 1
E52100-AMS 6440, 6444, 6447 ✔
8640-SAE J404 ✔ ✔
8740-AMS 6322, 6323 ✔
300M ✔
W1 ✔
S7 ✔ ✔ 2 ✔ 1
O1 ✔ ✔ 1
A2 ✔ 2 ✔
D2 ✔ 2 ✔
P20 ✔
H13 ✔ 2 ✔
H21 ✔ 2 ✔
T1 ✔ 2 ✔
M2 ✔ 2 ✔
M42 ✔ 2 ✔
410-AMS 5613 ✔2 ✔
420-AMS 5621 ✔ 2 ✔
440C-AMS 5618, 5630 ✔ 2 ✔

1 for this sections
2 important decarburization