Modelling of quenching process of medium-carbon steel

The paper refers to numerical modelling of the hardening process of steel C45. In the algorithm the heat transfer equation, equilibrium equations and macroscopic model of phase transformations, basis of CCT diagrams, are used. Coupling between basic phenomena of hardening process is considered, in particular the influence of latent heat on the fields of temperature, and also thermal, structural and plastic strains and transformation - induced plasticity in the model is taken into account as well. The method of calculating the phase transformation during heating applied by the authors uses data from the continuous heating diagram (CHT). The homogenization line of austenite determines the end of heating. The influence of austenisation temperature on the kinetics of transformations is taken into account. To calculate the increase of martensite content Koistinen-Marburger formula is used. Field of stresses and strains are obtained from solutions of finite element method equations of equilibrium in increment form.