Quenching

Add one script tag to your page:

<div data-alloyfyi="glossary" data-slug="quenching"></div>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/alloyfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>

Embed as an iframe:

<iframe src="https://alloyfyi.com/iframe/glossary/quenching/?style=modern&theme=light" width="420" height="400" frameborder="0" loading="lazy" style="border:0;border-radius:10px;max-width:100%"></iframe>

Paste the URL in WordPress, Medium, or Ghost:

https://alloyfyi.com/id/glossary/quenching/

Web Component:

<alloyfyi-glossary slug="quenching"></alloyfyi-glossary>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/alloyfyi-embed@1/dist/embed.min.js" defer></script>

Heat Treatment

Definition

The rapid cooling of a metal from an elevated temperature, typically by immersion in water, oil, polymer solution, or forced air, to obtain a specific microstructure and improve hardness.

Detailed Explanation

In steel, quenching from above the austenitizing temperature suppresses diffusion-controlled transformations and produces a hard, brittle martensitic microstructure. The quench severity (H-factor) depends on the medium: water is more severe than oil, which is more severe than air. Inadequate quench rates result in softer bainite or pearlite, while too-rapid quenching can cause cracking due to thermal and transformation stresses.