Abstract
An atomizer is a helpful tool that can be used to tailor the cooling rate of steel from the processing temperature in order to get desired properties. It is important to determine the temperature distribution in a specimen subjected to cooling by an atomized spray. A finite-element model for transient heat transfer and thermal-stress analysis is developed to determine the temperature and thermal-stress distribution. The results of the finite-element heat-transfer model are compared with a finite-difference model. The heat-transfer model describes the heat-transfer processes in an AISI 4140 steel cylinder subjected to controlled atomized spray cooling from an initial temperature of 1273 K. The temperature fields predicted by the model are used both to predict the resulting microstructure using continuous cooling transformation (CCT) diagrams and as an input for the thermal-stress model to predict the occurrence of quench cracks. The thermal-stress model incorporates temperature-dependent material properties, heat generation due to phase changes, elastoplastic behavior of steel, and the volumetric expansion associated with the formation of martensite. The results of the finite-element model are verified experimentally by recording temperature profiles, obtaining micrographs, and recording the occurrence of quench cracks.
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Thomas, R., Ganesa-Pillai, M., Aswath, P.B. et al. Analytical/Finite-element modeling and experimental verification of spray-cooling process in steel. Metall Mater Trans A 29, 1485–1498 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-998-0364-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11661-998-0364-y