METHOD OF PREDICTING QUENCH CRACKING IN COMPONENTS FORMED BY HIGH DEFORMATION PROCESSES

摘要

A process for heat treating a component formed of an alloy. The process includes manipulating uniaxial strain test data of the alloy using a triaxiality factor to determine an equivalent multiaxial stress state. Conditions are then applied to the multiaxial stress state to identify a cooling path for the component. The cooling path includes boundaries for heat treatment temperatures and cooling rates that do not exceed predetermined stresses or strains and/or avoid predetermined residual stress patterns in the alloy. The component is then heated to a heat treatment temperature and quenched according to the cooling path identified in the applying step.