A Pure Implicit Finite Difference-Based Modeling Approach for Prediction of the Hardenability of Eutectoid Steel

In this work, an independent pure implicit finite difference-based modeling approach has been adopted for the determination of the hardenability of eutectoid steel. In this model, cooling curves were generated by solving transient heat transfer equations through discretization with pure implicit finite difference scheme in view of constant effective thermophysical properties of AISI-1080 steel. The cooling curves were solved against the 50% transformation nose of the time–temperature–transformation diagram in order to predict hardening behavior of AISI-1080 steel in terms of hardenability parameters (Grossmann critical diameter, DC; and ideal critical diameter, DI) and the variation of the ratio of the unhardened core diameter (Du) to diameter of steel bar (D). Furthermore, a relationship is established between the Grossmann critical diameter and the heat transfer coefficient. The hardenability predicted by the developed model was found to match reasonably with that obtained through the chemical composition method. Therefore, the model developed in the present work can be used for direct determination of DC, DI, and Du without resorting to any rigorous experimentation. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media New York and ASM International.