Advantages and General Uses of UCON® Quenchants

  1. Fire Danger – None with aqueous systems – concentrate itself is FM approved.
    Fire insurance – Cost reductions can be anticipated. UCON® Quenchants A, B, C, HT, RL and E are made as water solutions of a liquid organic polymer and a corrosion inhibitor.
  2. Generally, quenched parts can be processed directly to temper without washing and without smoking results.
  3. Quenching with UCON® Quenchants eliminates the smoke, soot, and residues common to oil quenchants. Equipment maintenance and plant cleanliness are easier to achieve.
  4. UCON® Quenchants (new) contain no heavy metals, If external contaminants are avoided, used quenchant (e.g. from rinsing) may be sewered where permitted by local or federal statutes.
  5. UCON® Quenchants exhibit low Bio-chemical Oxygen Demand. Further, at low dilutions, UCON® Quenchants are compatible with sewage bio-mass and with aquatic life.
  6. Quenching speeds can be adjusted by changes in bath temperature, concentration and/or agitation.
  7. Quenchants can be reclaimed from salt contamination by heating total bath above separation temperatures.
  8. Quenchant concentration can be monitored by hand refractometer readings supplemented by kinematic viscosity measurements.
  9. Correct polymer selection for the type of metal to be quenched can produce low distortion and reduce residual stress.
  10. Quenchants can eliminate the need for expensive hot water quenching systems.
  11. UCON® Quenchants are shipped from strategically located sites throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The following is a brief summary of the application range for each of the six (6) single-polymer quenchants – UCON® Quenchants C, A, HT, RL B and E – presently furnished by Tenaxol, Inc. While the individual products were developed for specific hardening needs, they do have a degree of over-lap that sometimes allows one product to be used for multiple and/or different inplant requirements.

UCON® Quenchant C

  • Induction and flame-hardening applications with deep case requirements
  • Furnace applications for the hardening of lean hardenability steels where water or brine would normally be used.
  • The solution heat treatment of thin and heavy section aluminum alloys.

UCON® Quenchant A

  • Induction and flame-hardening applications of medium carbon steels, and low-to-medium carbon alloy steels.
  • Furnace applications for steel – both integral and external quench systems – where water soluble oil, and fast speed oils would normally be used.
  • In conjunction with solution heat treatment of thin and heavy section aluminum, magnesium, and titanium alloys. Approved under AMS-3025B as a Type I quenchant.

UCON® Quenchant HT

  • Induction and flame-hardening applications of medium carbon steels, and low-to-medium carbon alloy steels.
  • Furnace applications for steel – both integral and external quench systems – where fast to medium speed oils* would normally be used.
  • Direct-forge quenching operations.
  • Furnace applications for steel requiring time-quenching.

UCON® Quenchant RL

  • Induction and flame-hardening applications of high carbon and alloy steels.
  • Furnace applications for steel – both integral and external quench systems – where medium speed oils* would normally be used.
  • Direct-forge quenching operations
  • Quenching from continuous casting operations

UCON® Quenchant B AND UCON® Quenchant E

  • Induction and flame-hardening applications of high carbon and alloy steel
  • Furnace applications for steel – both integral and external quench systems – where medium to slow oils* would normally be used.
  • Direct-forge quenching operations.
  • Quenching from continuous casting operations.

*OILS

  • Fast speed  --  8-10 sec.
  • Medium speed   --  11-14 sec.
  • Slow speed   --  15-20 sec.

Application Parameters

  • Each of the UCON® Quenchants will be used at some stipulated concentration (+/-2% ) to achieve the desired metallurgical properties with a given metal composition and part geometry.
  • With respect to temperature, each application may dictate a limited range – again depending upon the metallurgical needs of the component part.
  • Agitation – either impeller or pump – is necessary for any application of UCON® Quenchants. The degree of agitation will vary with the type of material being processed, metallurgical properties desired, and the loading of parts being processed.

Tenaxol’s field representatives are more than salesmen. They are technically competent and can offer complete and knowledgeable counsel about the application of UCON® Quenchants to heat treated parts. If they do not know the answer, they can quickly obtain it from headquarters. More technical back-up is available from Tenaxol for any and all polymer quenchants.

For any additional pertinent information, 
please call Tenaxol’s local representative or 
contact this office directly:

Tenaxol, Technologies
1001 E. Centralia
Elkhorn, WI 53121
Phone: (414) 476-1400