Dd. Hall et I. Mudawar, OPTIMIZATION OF QUENCH HISTORY OF ALUMINUM PARTS FOR SUPERIOR MECHANICAL-PROPERTIES, International journal of heat and mass transfer, 39(1), 1996, pp. 81-95
Cooling of an age-hardenable aluminum alloy after the high temperature
forming process influences the metallurgical structure and, hence, th
e mechanical properties of the part. An intelligent spray quenching sy
stem is proposed which selects the optimal spray nozzle configuration
based on part geometry and composition such that the quenched part att
ains superior mechanical properties. The present study demonstrates a
method for maximizing the magnitude and uniformity of hardness (and yi
eld strength) and qualitatively minimizing residual stresses within th
e quenched part by manipulation of spray intensity and hydrodynamic ch
aracteristics. Furthermore, the quenching of a complex-shaped alloy wi
th multiple, partially overlapping sprays was successfully modeled usi
ng spray heat transfer correlations as boundary conditions within a fi
nite element program. The results of this study facilitate the eventua
l incorporation of optimization techniques such that the nozzle config
uration for a given part can be selected prior to quenching, thus achi
eving superior part quality with minimal costs.