Abstract
Metallurgical properties required in aluminum alloys are highly dependent on the cooling uniformity during the quenching process. Non-uniformity during cooling is associated with piece distortion and failure. Although the quenching process is considered the most critical step during alloy heat treating, quench tank design is still based mainly on experience. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) offers detailed understanding of the complex behavior of fluid flow and its impact on part cooling. Detailed cooling rates can then be used to predict part metallurgical properties. Although computational fluid dynamics are being used increasingly in quench tank design, there is still considerable imprecision due to assumptions that must be made. In this work, cooling curves are obtained for a 25 mm diameter 6061 aluminum cylinder probe under different conditions. Results are also obtained numerically via computational fluid dynamics. Results show the suitability for designing quench systems based on CFD simulations.
