Minimizing and Controlling

Distortion in Vacuum Furnaces

ALD-Dynatech Furnaces Pte, Ltd.
Janusz Kowalewski
Managing Director and CEO
Ahmedabad, December 2014

Products and People

MonoTherm

ModulTherm

Vacuum Oil
Quench

Agenda
Define distortion
Identify factors influencing distortion during heat
treatment
Process of selecting a vacuum furnaces to minimize
distortion
Demonstrate new furnace design to minimize distortion
Validate importance of convection heating and isothermal
quench
Provide useful information

General causes of Distortion

Fast and non-uniform heating and cooling

Stresses during the heating cycle
Residual stresses
Phase transformation
Dissimilar metals
Part design

Material accounts for over 50% of variability. Study by Bell

Helicopter and IIT Research Institute.

Types of Distortion
SIZE DISTORTION
Total size distortion is equal
to the sum of the
distortions arising during
the heating and cooling .
Changes in dimensions are
due to structural
transformation and are
characterized by material
shrinkage or expansion.

SHAPE DISTORTION
Internal stresses are created
by a lack of uniformity in
temperature during
phase transformations.

Definition

Distortion is a general term describing all types of

dimensional changes. There are two types of distortion: size
distortion and shape distortion.

Heat Treatment Distortions

Heat treatment distortions occur if:
Stress in the Material > Yield stress of the Material.
Yield stress decreases dramatically with increasing temperature
of the material.
There are 3 different types of stress:
1. Residual stresses (are induced before heat treatment by
casting, forging, machining etc.)
2. Thermal stresses (temperature gradient while heating and
quenching)

Heat Treatment Distortions- Contd..

3. Transformation stresses (transformation from ferrite to
austenite during heating and transformation from austenite to
martensite / bainite during quenching)

These stresses add up to the total stress in the component.

They depend on part-geometry, steel-grade, casting, forging,
machining etc. and they depend on the heat treatment. If the
total stress in the component exceeds the yield stress we get
plastic deformation. This means we get distortion of the
component.

Size Change in Heat Treatment

Soft

Heated to
Austenitize

Quenched to
Martensite

Shape Change in Heat Treatment

Before Hardening

After Hardening

Volume during Heating & Cooling

AC1
Size

AC3

MF
MS
392

752

1112

1472

1832

1472

1112

752

392

200

400

600

800

1000

800

600

400

200

Temperature

oF

oC

Temp/ Size correlation

oF

E - Expanding
C - Contracting

oC

2012 1100
1832 1000
1652 900
1472 800
1292 700
1112 600
932 500
752 400
572 300
392 200
212 100

Temperature

Surface
Temp.

Core
Temp.

Surface
Temp.

MF
MS
Core
Temp.

10

Time (Hours)

Metallurgical Reactions at Various

Temperature Ranges and Related Physical Changes in Steel
Stage Temperature
Metallurgical Reaction
Expansion/
range
Contraction
1

0-200C
32-392F

Precipitation of -carbide Contraction

200-300C
392-572F

Decomposition of
retained austenite

230-350C
446-662F

-carbide decompose to Contraction

cementite

350-700C
662-1292F

Precipitation of alloy
carbides

Expansion

Expansion

Source: Carsten Jensen

Heat Transfer and Temperature

distribution at liquid Quenching
Heat transfer coefficient

Temperature distribution
2

5000

10000

15000

20000 [W/m K]

700C
750C

Film Boiling

Bubble Boiling
l
oil

Wasser
water

700C
600C
500C
400C
300C

200C

Convection

t = 10 s

t = 10 s
ref.: Stick, Tensi, HTM 50, 1995

Heat Transfer and Temperature

distribution at High Pressure Gas Quenching
Heat transfer coefficient
1000

2000

3000

Temperature distribution
2

4000 [W/m K]

Gas direction
750C
650C
550C

450C
Only convection

350C

250C

200

400

Plastic
deformation
occurs above
curve

300
Temperature Difference, oF

Temperature, oC
600
800
1000

1200

160
Temperature Difference, oC

Temp diff at which thermal

stresses equal the yield point

140

250

120

200

100

150

80
60

100
50

Thermal stresses
below yield point
under curve

400
Source: C.C. Tennenhouse

40

800

1200
1600
Temperature, oF

20
2000

Total Expansion, 21 oC to Temp., mm/mm

(70 oF to Temp., In/In)

Thermal Expansion Curves

400

2000

.018
.016

.014
.012
.010
.008
.006
.004
.002

Source: NASA

800

Temperature, oF
1200
1600

100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
Temperature, oC

Example of Distortion case by fixturing

Recrystallization
annealing.
Claim: Distortion
Cause: Wrong jigging

Predictable size change

Distortion behavior is significantly influenced by the
design of the components.
-Study by C.M. Bergstrom
Material variability accounts for over 50% of distortion
problems.
-Study by Bell Helicopter and IIT Research Institute.

Uniformity of cooling

Gas flow pattern and uniformity of flow

Control of cooling speed
Load position and fixtures design
Pressure and furnace design

Cooling speed parameters

Pressure
Gas velocity - design, furnace size, blower, water system,
ratio between load and hot zone surface
Gas type
Cooling speed
t = (V/A p c)s (1/) ln *(T1 Tg) / (T2 Tg)
Heat exchange coefficient
=c w.7 p .7 -.39 cp .31 .69

Material

Furnace

- shape
- weight
- material
- production
- specifications

- horizontal
- vertical
- internal
- external
- hot zone
- heating
elements

Metallurgy
Production
Cost

-gas type (Argon, Nitrogen, Helium)

-gas mixture (Nitrogen / Helium / Hydrogen)
-gas flow and pressure ( velocity , direction)

Cooling Gas

Factors causing Distortions during

heat treatment process
Speed and uniformity of heating

Speed and uniformity of cooling

Fixtures, baskets and load configuration

Increase uniformity of cooling

Convection Heating

Cylindrical Hot Zone

Wide Bend Heating Elements
Insulation
Working Thermocouple Location and Control

CONVECTION
CONVECTION
CONVECTION
MIN. DISTORTION

COST

From ambient temperature to 1400F

MIN. DISTORTION

Influence of heating method on changes

in shape and dimension
160
C
H
A
N
G
E
m

140
120
100
80
60
40

20
0
Out-of roundness
CONVECTION

Out-of-flatness
RADIATION

Source: Altena

Uniformity of cooling

Gas flow pattern and uniformity of flow

Control of cooling speed

Load position and fixtures design
Pressure and furnace design

Cooling speed parameters

Pressure
Gas velocity - design, furnace size, blower, water system,
ratio between load and hot zone surface
Gas type
Cooling speed
t = (V/A p c)s (1/) ln *(T1 Tg) / (T2 Tg)
Heat exchange coefficient
=c w.7 p .7 -.39 cp .31 .69

Vacuum Furnace schematic

Hot Zone

Heat
Exchanger
Quench
Motor

Quench Fan

Charge/ Load

External cooling

External heat exchanger

Heat
Exchanger

Radiation
Shields

External fan

Cooling
Blower

Isolation Valve

Influence of cooling gas pressure and

loading on changes in shape and
dimension (Source: Study by Altna, Stola and Klima)
150

C
H
A
N
G
E

100

50

m
0

Out-of-roundness
15 Bar / Horizontal

Out-of-flatness

10 Bar / Horizontal

15 Bar / Vertical

Load Configuration

Space between parts / load density

Grouping of similar parts

Gas flow restriction
Part placement
Parts hanging and type of fixturing

Distortion control
Control temperature uniformity during the phase
transformation.
Heat up the parts uniformly up to to stress reliving
temperature within +/- 80F until the stress relief
temperature is reached.
Use properly designed fixtures with tolerance for
thermal expansion. (Graphite best/Inconnel good)
Use smart loading dummy parts, shields, low gage
fixtures, baskets and grid made from low expansion
material. (Graphite or CFC material)

Distortion control- Contd..

Use convection heating from ambient to 1400F
Use isothermal quench process
H-13 hold at 1200F and 1560F to allow for
equalization of temperature (T 100F at 1200F and
T 80F at 1560F) and use isothermal quench.
Stack or hang long parts vertically
Use the right pressure to minimize distortion
Group or tie together similar parts

Summary

Optimized LPC & HPGQ process

-application of convective heating
-application of Dynamic / Reversing
Quenching and choose Helium as quenchgas

Quench Cell design

- uniform gas flow pattern

Low distortion heat

treatment of transmission
components
Fixture design
- Optimized mech. support of
components and optimized gas flow
pattern in the load

Stable manufact. chain

before heat treat
- Low level of residual stress in
components before heat
treatment

THANK YOU
Janusz Kowalewski
janusz@dynatechfurnaces.com