Prediction of hardness in pieces of quenched and tempered steel

This presentation describes the first stage of a work plan to obtain a simple software, for predicting properties at certain points of a quenched and tempered piece. In this first stage, this prediction is limited to cylindrical pieces made with steels whose chemical composition is within a certain range. The methodology basically consists of obtaining , from experimental data, a mathematical tool able to predict the hardness value, for Jominy test piece ends made with this type of steel. This meant beginning with the analysis of the usual forms of theoretical calculation of Jominy curves of quenched samples, which resulted in a proposal to modify the Just equation. Two different mathematical methods were then developed, that could predict hardness values in tempered Jominy test pieces. One, based on the determination of polynomic equations, that reproduces the loss of hardness at points along the test piece, base on the quenching value and as a function of the tempering temperature. The other one, which uses the lineal multidimensional interpolation method, because of its ease of application, has been selected as the mathematical tool to use in the software under development. At this stage of the work, the relationship between the points on the piece and those on the Jominy test pieces is carried out by the Lamont method and the representative variable of the temperature/time combination for the tempering process itself, is obtained with software based on the Hollomon and Jaffe expression. Data is needed to define: a) chemical composition and grain size of the steel used, b) diameter of the piece, c) 'HG' severity of the quenching medium d) temperature and time of the tempering. The work's second stage continued with the addition of hardness values measured in Jominy test pieces made with other steels. The chemical composition and grain size data of each steel introduced are converted by the software into one more variable, using the concept of ideal critical diameter. The result from the computer process should be the 'U curve of hardnesses', based on the prediction of the hardness value that the material will have, at points along the radius of a circular piece. So the engineer now has an easy, quick design tool with acceptable margins of error. When selecting the steel to use in producing the mechanical piece, he/she can make a better comparison of the possible offers of treated material, with respect to the data provided by the calculation of requests (CW)