ANALYSIS OF STRESSES DUE TO QUENCHING AND TEMPERING OF STEEL.

Abstract

A stress anaysis has been carried out within the frame-work of the theories of plasticity and creep. The effect of phase transformations from austenite to martensite is taken into account by introducing the thermal expansion coefficient depending upon temperature and cooling rate. A proposition to predict the crack initiation due to quenching is presented. In order to analyse the process of tempering, a flow rule of creep is given regarding the creep function as a potential, where the function depends upon stress, creep strain, temperature, and time, and an equilibrium equation for finite element method is derived.