Radial, tangential, differential quenching systems

Quenching

GF-ELTI supplies radial, tangential and differential quenching systems for heat treatment lines.

In radial quenching systems, the fluid impacts the piece surface perpendicularly and then wraps around it. This type of system is particularly suitable for the final quenching stage, when the allotropic transformations have been completed and the product is required to cool down to achieve ambient temperature.

In tangential quenching systems, on the other hand, the refrigerant flow is constantly "brushing" the piece surface to avoid the build-up of fluid layers ("films") that would act as a thermal insulator between the product and the cold refrigerant fluid. It also ensures a continuous exchange of cold refrigerant fluid on the surface to be quenched. These systems are ideal for the first quenching stage, when it is necessary to quickly reduce the temperature.

Finally, differential quenching systems are special systems designed to perform quenching only in certain localized areas of a product. Therefore, the quenching fluid comes into contact only with the required areas of the surface. These plants can use a quenching shower, a quenching bath, or a combination of the two, depending on the geometry of the part. Typical applications are wheel treatment baths, where only the rolling surface needs to be quenched.

Often, several quenching systems are combined within the same machine. In the first stages tangential systems are used, which allow drastic and sudden cooling. Later, once the cooling gradients are reduced, radial systems are used to complete the cooling with lower flow rates.