Gases and Technologies for Your Heat Treating Applications
Gases for Quenching & Furnace Inerting
What is Gas Quenching?
Gas quenching is an important step in the treatment of steel parts. The process consists of cooling the parts down from their critical temperature quickly in order to strengthen and harden the metal. These metals include ferrous and alloys. A variety of mediums can be applied to the quenching process. These include polymers, oils, water, and gases such as helium, argon, and nitrogen. The overall choice should be made based on part size, steel composition, and desired results.
Advantages of Gas Quenching
Typically used in vacuum furnace applications, gas quenching can provide a variety of advantages over traditional polymer or oil-based quenching approaches. By using gas quenching, the residue can be eliminated, which is an unwanted byproduct in many types of liquid quench processes. Gas quenching also provides better temperature uniformity in the gas chamber, reducing the risk of part distortion. Your furnace manufacturer may provide high-pressure surge tanks and compressors. Once all the components of our process are in place, Linde can easily integrate the gas supply system that best meets your needs.
Additional benefits of gas quenching include:
- Cleaner end products
- Ability to control the cooling process
- Safer and more environmentally safe compared to other quenching mediums
Linde offers nitrogen, helium, argon, and hydrogen for gas quench applications and has a large variety of supply systems that can meet process requirements.
Advantages of Inerting
Many conventional heat treatment furnaces have purge or inerting requirements. This is done in an effort to remove or clear unwanted material from the furnace atmosphere.
A nitrogen or argon controlled atmosphere is most commonly used for this application. As nitrogen or argon is introduced into a furnace, the risk for oxidation of the component parts being heat-treated is reduced. The inerting process is also done as a safety measure since the gases used purge flammables, oxygen, and water from the furnace. The amount of gas flow required for your furnace varies and is based upon your furnace volume.
Linde offers nitrogen, argon, hydrogen and other gases that can provide an inert atmosphere that prevents reaction between air and components.