Processing spring steel wire, what is the difference between oil quenching and water quenching?

In the process of metal processing and heat treatment, quenching is a common process, which can change the structure and properties of the metal by rapid cooling.In the quenching process, the selection of the appropriate quenching medium has an important impact on the final hardness and performance. Oil quenching and water quenching are two common quenching media, which have certain differences in quenching effect and hardness.

Basic principles of oil quenching and water quenching:

Oil quenching: Oil quenching refers to the process of rapidly cooling metal workpieces into oil at high temperatures. The cooling rate of the oil is relatively slow, which can effectively reduce the deformation and cracking of the metal, while also providing better surface quality.The basic principle of oil quenching is that the heat capacity and thermal conductivity of oil are low, so that the metal workpiece produces a small temperature gradient during the cooling process, thereby reducing the generation of stress and improving the quenching effect.

Water quenching: Water quenching refers to the process of rapidly cooling metal workpieces into water at high temperatures. The cooling speed of water is very fast, and it can quickly reduce the temperature of the metal workpiece to below the martensitic transition temperature, so that the metal workpiece can reach a higher hardness.The basic principle of water quenching is that through the high heat capacity and thermal conductivity of water, the metal workpiece produces a large temperature gradient during the cooling process, thus accelerating the formation of martensite and improving the quenching effect.

The difference between oil quenching and water quenching is summarized as follows:                  

We are a professional spring steel wire manufacturer in China, our products include all kinds of steel wire, oil quenched spring wire, shaped spring wire, cold drawn spring wire, stainless steel spring wire, complete varieties and specifications.