THERMISOL QH 35 MC

Together with the company Sandvik Mining and Construction GmbH in Zeltweg, Austria, FUCHS has developed a universal high-performance quenching oil for the heat treatment of various components in open and closed quenching oil baths.

Apart from gearbox components, Sandvik also heat-treats sheet steel panels in Zeltweg. Due to their geometry, these panels have to be racked vertically which creates a chimney effect which in turn causes pronounced flaming when the panels are lowered into the quenching oil. However, to guarantee sustainable and safe quenching, flaming must be kept under control.

The solution to reducing flaming was the development of a new high-performance quenching oil which achieves the required process parameters such as hardness, minimal warping and environmental compatibility while, at the same time, offering excellent health and safety at the workplace.

The process of development

To achieve these ambitious objectives, it was necessary to bundle the competences of both partners, Sandvik and FUCHS. During the course of this project, it soon became clear that the standardized testing methods for quenching oils do not take the relevant practical effect of flaming into account. There were also no publications available which dealt with in-depth analyses to this topic.

The quenching experts at Sandvik and FUCHS decided on a practice-relevant simulation to gain more in-depth understanding of this effect. This involved the construction of a model quenching line and panel rack.

The FUCHS development team in Mannheim formulated various quenching oil alternatives which were then evaluated in Zeltweg by the Sandvik quenching team together with specialists from FUCHS. During the course of the months-long test series, the effects of quenching oil formulations and different types of batch racks were tested and optimized.