ASM Handbook, Volume 4F – Quenchants and Quenching Technology

ASM International presents the latest volume in the ASM Handbook series on heat treatment. Volume 4F is a practical guide to quenching, its implementation, and its effects on the microstructure and properties of cast irons and steels.

As a comprehensive update of the best-selling title Handbook of Quenchants and Quenching Technology (ASM International, 1993), ASM Handbook, Volume 4F: Quenchants and Quenching Technology reviews the metallurgy of irons and steels and the changes that occur in response to controlled heating and cooling. It explains how cooling curve data is acquired and used in the development of quenching processes and the selection of quenchants. The book describes the wetting and heat transfer characteristics of industrial quenchants, including polymer and salt solutions, nanofluids, and petroleum, vegetable, and animal oils, and presents examples of the microstructures and properties achieved in different quenching media.

Volume 4F discusses the design of quenching systems with emphasis on the method of agitation. It explains how to evaluate initial designs, assess manufacturing feasibility, and determine the root cause of quench-induced failures. It covers a wide range of quenching processes, including induction, spray, gas, pulsed, and intensive quenching, and addresses related issues such as residual stress, distortion, and cracking in different types of components. It also discusses the use of computational fluid dynamics and other modeling tools.

Volume 4F follows Volume 4A, Steel Heat Treating Fundamentals and Processes; Volume 4B, Steel Heat Treating Technologies; Volume 4C, Induction Heating and Heat Treatment; Volume 4D, Heat Treating of Irons and Steels; and Volume 4E, Heat Treating of Nonferrous Alloys.