Water Quenching
ThermTech is proud to offer water hardening of steel components, forgings, machined parts and tooling. Water quench hardening is typically used for low alloy steel grades that require a very rapid quench rate to achieve desired hardness.
Capabilities for Water Hardening of Steel Components
- All water quench hardening processes are run out of batch-type furnaces for optimum process and lot control.
- Our largest furnace capable of performing water quench hardening has internal working dimensions of 70”w x 100” l x 42” h.
- All ThermTech furnaces are certified to AMS 2750, ensuring optimal temperature uniformity during the hardening process.
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Process for Water Quench Hardening Steel
The process of water quench hardening for steel is as follows:
- It begins by fully austenitizing the steel in the temperature range of 1500°F – 1650°F, depending on the steel grade.
- It is held at this temperature for a time commensurate with the part cross-section.
- This step can be done using a carbon-controlled protective atmosphere to prevent decarburization and the formation of scale as required.
- The load is then quenched in agitated water to produce a fully hardened martensitic microstructure.
- After the quench, the parts are tempered down to the specified hardness.
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Recommendations from ThermTech to Minimize Distortion
In cases where parts are especially distortion sensitive but still require the superior depth of hardness provided by water quenching, ThermTech will create a custom water quench process to minimize or eliminate distortion issues while still achieving the required material properties. In cases where distortion is a primary concern, please consider our other quench methods which include polymer quench hardening, oil quench hardening, or marquenching.
ThermTech water hardening processes castings made from a wide variety of steel grades. Some of the most common processes we offer are:
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- Water Quenching 4130 Steel
- Water Quenching 1045 Steel
- Water Quenching 1035 Steel
- Water Quenching 1050 Steel
- Water Quenching 4130 Steel
- Water Quenching W-1 Tool Steel
- Water Quenching L-6 Tool Steel
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Please be aware that lower final hardness ranges that require tempering temperatures above 900°F may result in temper oxide formation on most steel grades. ThermTech offers a variety of blasting services for machined parts to remove any oxide formation and improve the surface finish.
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