Quenching apparatus

Abstract

The application provides a quenching device, which comprises a sorting mechanism for selecting a forging piece meeting a process temperature requirement; a lifting mechanism for carrying the forging piece selected by the sorting mechanism and for placing the forging piece in a quenching tank for quenching; a circulating cooling device comprising a first circulating pump and a cooling tower; wherein the first circulating pump communicates the quenching tank and the cooling tower through a pipeline to form a circulating loop; and a circulating stirring device for stirring a quenching medium in the quenching tank. In the technical scheme disclosed by the application, the forged piece formed after correction is directly quenched through the quenching device, compared with the prior art, the forged piece does not need to be cooled to room temperature and then heated for quenching, the secondary heating of the forged piece is reduced, and the process steps are simplified.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of production equipment technology, and in particular to a quenching device. Background Technology

[0002] Alloy structural steel is renowned for its high strength, high toughness, good hardenability, and tempering stability. This type of steel is widely used in the manufacture of mechanical parts and molds requiring high strength and toughness. In my country's railway transportation equipment, alloy structural steel (42CrMo or 40CrMnMo) is used for components such as the outer fixing plate, fixing ramp, and wedges in the buffers of the coupling and deceleration device (e.g., MT-2 / 3, HM-1 models). The drawings require a heat treatment hardness of 46-53 HRC.

[0003] The existing manufacturing process for the aforementioned shock absorber components generally involves: round steel blanking → heating → pre-forging blank → die forging → trimming → straightening → slow cooling to room temperature → shot blasting to remove oxide scale → heat treatment quenching → tempering → shot blasting → hardness testing → flaw detection → shock absorber assembly. Because the workpiece surface undergoes oxidation and decarburization after forging, the hardness after heat treatment generally does not meet the requirements of the drawings. Therefore, existing technology uses a "carburization" process to improve the workpiece's hardness to meet the requirements for a shock absorber component. This involves using a controlled atmosphere furnace, introducing a carburizing atmosphere while heating the workpiece to 850-900℃ to ensure the carbon content on the workpiece surface is around 0.50-0.70%, followed by rapid quenching oil cooling and then tempering.

[0004] While existing quenching equipment can guarantee the hardness requirements of forgings, it suffers from complex processes. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a quenching device to simplify the processing technology of forgings.

[0006] This application provides a quenching apparatus, which includes: The sorting mechanism is used to select forgings that meet the process temperature requirements; The lifting mechanism is used to carry the forgings sorted by the sorting mechanism and to place the forgings in the quenching tank for quenching. A circulating cooling device includes a first circulating pump and a cooling tower; wherein the first circulating pump connects the quenching tank and the cooling tower through a pipeline to form a circulating loop; A circulating stirring device is used to stir the quenching medium in the quenching tank.

[0007] In the technical solution disclosed in this application, the forging formed by correction is directly quenched by quenching equipment. Compared with the prior art, it is not necessary to cool the forging to room temperature and then reheat it for quenching, which reduces the secondary heating of the forging and simplifies the process steps.

[0008] In one specific implementation, a control mechanism is also included, which is used to control the duration of the lifting mechanism in the quenching tank according to the size of the forging.

[0009] In one specific implementation, the control mechanism controls the lifting mechanism for a longer period of time in the quenching tank as the forging becomes larger.

[0010] In one specific implementation, the control mechanism is further configured to control the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device based on the difference between the temperature of the forging detected by the sorting mechanism and the set temperature.

[0011] In one specific implementation, the control mechanism controls the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device to be lower when the difference between the temperature of the forging detected by the sorting mechanism and the set temperature is greater; and controls the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device to be greater when the difference between the temperature of the forging detected by the sorting mechanism and the set temperature is smaller.

[0012] In one specific implementation, the sorting mechanism includes: a conveying mechanism for transporting forgings; a temperature detection mechanism for detecting the temperature of forgings; and a pushing mechanism disposed on one side of the conveying mechanism for pushing the forgings into the quenching tank. The control mechanism is used to control the pushing mechanism to push the forging out of the conveying mechanism when the temperature detected by the temperature detection mechanism is not within the set temperature range.

[0013] In one specific implementation, the circulating stirring device includes a filter device, a second circulating pump, and multiple injection pipes; wherein, the filter device, the second circulating pump, and the multiple injection pipes are connected by pipelines, and the quenching medium in the quenching tank is filtered by the filter device, then pumped by the second circulating pump through the multiple injection pipes, and then sprayed into the quenching tank through the multiple injection pipes.

[0014] In one specific implementation, the circulating stirring device further includes a stirrer located within the quenching tank for stirring the quenching medium.

[0015] In one specific implementation, the conveying mechanism includes a chain conveyor belt and baffles located at the ends of the chain conveyor belt.

[0016] In one specific implementation, the lifting mechanism includes a mesh bag carrying the forging, a lifting chain connected to the mesh bag, and a drive motor for driving the lifting chain. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1This is a schematic diagram of the sorting mechanism of the quenching equipment provided in the embodiments of this application; Figure 2 A top view of the quenching tank provided in an embodiment of this application; Figure 3 This is a side view of the quenching tank provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0018] Sorting mechanism 100, conveying mechanism 110, temperature detection mechanism 120, pushing mechanism 130, circulating stirring device 200, second circulating pump 210, spray pipe 220, stirring blade 230, drive motor 240, circulating cooling device 300, first circulating pump 310, valve 320, lifting mechanism 400, lifting chain 410, drive motor 420, mesh bag 430, quenching tank 500 Detailed Implementation To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application clearer, the application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0019] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in one or more embodiments of this specification should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar words used in one or more embodiments of this specification do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0020] To facilitate understanding of the quenching equipment provided in this application embodiment, its application scenario is first described. The quenching equipment provided in this application embodiment is applied in the processing of forgings. Currently, during the processing of forgings, after the forging is corrected, it needs to be cooled to room temperature, then shot blasted to remove oxide scale, and then reheated for heat treatment, resulting in two heating processes for the forging, which is relatively complex. Therefore, this application embodiment provides a quenching equipment to simplify the process. A detailed description is provided below with reference to specific drawings and embodiments.

[0021] refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, Figure 1This paper shows a schematic diagram of the sorting mechanism 100 of the quenching equipment provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 A top view of the quenching tank 500 is shown. Figure 3 A side view of the quenching tank 500 is shown. The quenching equipment provided in this embodiment mainly includes a sorting mechanism 100, a lifting mechanism 400, a circulating cooling device 300, and a circulating stirring device 200. The circulating cooling device 300 is connected to the quenching tank 500 and is used to circulate and cool the quenching medium within the quenching tank 500. The circulating stirring device 200 cooperates with the quenching tank 500 and is used to stir the quenching medium within the quenching tank 500. The aforementioned circulating cooling device 300 and circulating stirring device 200 cooperate with the quenching tank 500 to ensure the effectiveness of quenching forgings. The sorting mechanism 100 is used to select forgings that meet the process temperature requirements, while the lifting mechanism 400 is used to carry the forgings sorted by the sorting mechanism 100 and to place the forgings into the quenching tank 500 for quenching, thereby realizing the placement and removal of forgings from the quenching tank 500. The various components of the quenching equipment of this embodiment are described in detail below with reference to the specific drawings.

[0022] Continue to refer to Figure 1 The sorting mechanism 100 provided in this application embodiment is set on one side of the quenching tank 500. The sorting mechanism is used to select forgings that meet the process temperature requirements. Specifically, the qualified forgings are sent into the quenching tank 500 for quenching, and the unqualified forgings are removed.

[0023] In one feasible embodiment, the sorting mechanism 100 includes a conveying mechanism 110, a temperature detection mechanism 120, and a pushing mechanism 130. The conveying mechanism 110 is used to transport forgings; after slicing and correction, the forgings are placed in and transported via the conveying mechanism 110. During transport via the conveying mechanism 110, the temperature of the forgings is detected by the temperature detection mechanism 120. Additionally, the pushing mechanism 130 is located on one side of the conveying mechanism 110 and is used to push the forgings into the quenching tank 500.

[0024] During use, since the forgings have varying temperatures before being sent to the sorting mechanism 100, the sorting mechanism 100 screens the forgings to ensure heat treatment quality. After the previous process is completed, the forgings are manually fed onto the conveying mechanism 110 of the sorting mechanism. The temperature detection mechanism 120 detects the temperature of the forgings. Forgings outside the set temperature range are pushed out of the conveying mechanism 110 by the pushing mechanism 130, while qualified forgings are sent to the quenching tank 500 for quenching.

[0025] In an alternative implementation, the temperature detection mechanism 120 may consist of a pair of far-infrared thermal imagers and a control system, while the pushing mechanism 130 is operated by a pneumatic system. The conveying mechanism 110 consists of a motor, reducer, sprocket, chain, etc. All actions of the sorting mechanism can be programmed by the control mechanism, which can be used to control the pushing mechanism 130 to push the forging into the quenching tank 500 when the temperature detected by the temperature detection mechanism 120 is not within the set temperature range. It should be understood that the interval (cycle time) of the above-mentioned component actions can be adjusted according to actual needs, and is not specifically limited in this embodiment.

[0026] Please refer to the above. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the quenching of forgings is achieved by a lifting mechanism 400 when the forgings are placed into the quenching tank 500. The lifting mechanism 400 carries the forgings sorted by the sorting mechanism 100, places the forgings into the quenching tank 500 for quenching, and removes the quenched forgings from the quenching tank 500. This achieves the steps of placing the forgings into the quenching tank 500 for quenching and then removing them from the quenching tank 500 after quenching.

[0027] In one specific implementation, the lifting mechanism 400 includes a mesh bag 430 supporting the forging, a lifting chain 410 connected to the mesh bag 430, and a drive motor 420 driving the lifting chain 410. In use, the mesh bag 430 is fixed to the lifting chain 410. When it is necessary to raise or lower the mesh bag 430, it can be driven by the drive motor 420. Alternatively, a drive motor can be used in conjunction with a reducer, which will not be described in detail here.

[0028] Please refer to the above. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, when the circulating cooling device 300 and the circulating stirring device 200 are used in conjunction with the quenching tank 500, the circulating cooling device 300 includes a first circulating pump 310 and a cooling tower. The first circulating pump 310 connects the quenching tank 500 and the cooling tower via a pipeline to form a circulating loop. The quenching medium in the quenching tank 500 can be drawn into the cooling tower by the first circulating pump 310 for cooling. The cooled quenching medium then flows back into the quenching tank 500. This circulation of the quenching medium maintains it at the required temperature to ensure the quenching effect. It should be understood that, in an optional embodiment, a filter device and valves 320 are also provided on the circulating loop to control the opening and closing of the loop. The filter device filters impurities from the quenching medium, preventing them from entering the cooling tower or pipeline and causing blockages. The valves 320 are used to close the pipeline during maintenance to facilitate repairs.

[0029] The circulating stirring device 200 can employ different methods when stirring the quenching medium in the quenching tank 500. In one feasible embodiment, the circulating stirring device 200 may include a filter device, a second circulating pump 210, and multiple injection pipes 220. The filter device, the second circulating pump 210, and the multiple injection pipes 220 are connected to the quenching tank 500 via pipelines to form another circulation loop. The quenching medium in the quenching tank 500 is filtered by the filter device, then pumped by the second circulating pump 210 through the multiple injection pipes 220, and sprayed into the quenching tank 500 through the multiple injection pipes 220. Specifically, the second circulating pump 210 is connected to the quenching tank 500 via a pipeline, and a filter device is installed within the pipeline. The second circulation pump 210 is connected to multiple injection pipes 220 through a pipeline. The multiple injection pipes 220 are located in the quenching tank 500. Thus, the quenching medium in the quenching tank 500 flows in the depth direction of the quenching tank 500 through the action of the second circulation pump 210, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the quenching medium temperature.

[0030] Of course, in addition to equalizing the temperature of the quenching medium by driving its flow as described above, the circulating stirring device 200 also includes a stirrer. This stirrer is used to agitate the flow of the quenching medium and create turbulence to ensure the uniformity of the quenching medium's temperature. The stirrer includes a drive motor 240 and stirring blades 230 connected to the drive motor 240, with the stirring blades 230 located within the quenching tank 500. The drive motor 240 drives the stirring blades 230 to rotate, thereby achieving temperature uniformity within the quenching medium.

[0031] Please refer to the above. Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in one feasible embodiment, the various components of the quenching equipment disclosed in this application can be automatically controlled by a control mechanism. Specifically, the control mechanism controls the duration of the lifting mechanism 400 within the quenching tank 500 according to the size of the forging, thereby improving the quenching effect of the quenching medium on the forging. Specifically, the control mechanism controls the duration of the lifting mechanism 400 within the quenching tank 500 to be longer when the forging is larger. Specifically, the duration of the forging within the quenching tank 500 can be controlled by controlling the dwell time of the lifting mechanism 400 within the quenching tank 500, or by controlling the descent speed of the lifting mechanism 400 within the quenching tank 500. For example, when the workpiece is larger, the lifting mechanism 400 can enter the quenching tank 500 at a lower speed and then exit at a lower speed, allowing the forging to remain within the quenching tank 500 for a longer time. Alternatively, the lifting mechanism 400 can enter the quenching tank 500 at a faster speed, remain for a certain time, and then exit at a faster speed.

[0032] In addition to controlling the quenching time of the conveyor belt, the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device 200 is also controlled. Specifically, the control mechanism controls the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device 200 to be lower when the temperature difference between the forging detected by the sorting mechanism 100 and the set temperature is larger; conversely, the control mechanism controls the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device 200 to be higher when the temperature difference between the forging detected by the sorting mechanism 100 and the set temperature is smaller.

[0033] Specifically, the stirring speed varies depending on the difference between the forging temperature and the set temperature. For example, the greater the difference between the forging temperature detected by the thermal imager and the set temperature, the slower the stirring speed; conversely, the smaller the difference between the forging temperature detected by the thermal imager and the set temperature, the faster the stirring speed.

[0034] In the embodiments of this application, the key to achieving direct quenching of forgings lies in the quenching medium used. The quenching medium is a high molecular polymer, and the high molecular polymer has a fast cooling rate when the forging is at a high temperature and a slow cooling rate when the forging is at a low temperature.

[0035] In one specific implementation, the quenching medium comprises the following components: 91%–93% water and 7%–9% polyethylene glycol. For example, the quenching medium may specifically comprise: 91% water and 9% polyethylene glycol; or 92% water and 8% polyethylene glycol; or 93% water and 7% polyethylene glycol. Using a quenching medium with the above components ensures that medium-carbon structural steel achieves high hardness during quenching, while at the martensitic transformation temperature, the cooling rate of the forging is close to that of oil cooling, preventing quenching cracks in the forging.

[0036] When setting the quenching medium, the temperature of the quenching medium is between 25℃ and 45℃ to ensure the quenching effect.

[0037] As can be seen from the above description, the solution disclosed in this application directly quenches the forgings formed by correction using a quenching medium. Compared with the prior art, this eliminates the need to cool the forgings to room temperature before reheating for quenching, thus simplifying the process by eliminating secondary heating of the forgings. In the prior art, for several complex-shaped accessories such as external fixing plates, fixing inclined plates, and wedges, a secondary heating step for the forgings is required, and rapid quenching oil is needed for quenching, resulting in problems such as oil fumes and oil stains on the production site. The solution disclosed in this application eliminates the aforementioned secondary heating step for the forgings and eliminates the need for rapid quenching oil for quenching and cooling. Instead, a quenching medium is used for cooling, ensuring that even forgings with complex shapes can achieve high hardness requirements without the formation of any capillary cracks. In addition, it improves production efficiency and reduces energy consumption.

[0038] One or more embodiments of this specification are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of one or more embodiments of this specification should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0039] The above are merely specific embodiments of this application, but the scope of protection of this application is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this application should be included within the scope of protection of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A quenching device, characterized in that, include: The sorting mechanism is used to select forgings that meet the process temperature requirements; The lifting mechanism is used to carry the forgings sorted by the sorting mechanism and to place the forgings in the quenching tank for quenching. A circulating cooling device includes a first circulating pump and a cooling tower; wherein the first circulating pump connects the quenching tank and the cooling tower through a pipeline to form a circulating loop; A circulating stirring device is used to stir the quenching medium in the quenching tank.

2. The quenching equipment according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a control mechanism for controlling the duration of the lifting mechanism in the quenching tank according to the size of the forging.

3. The quenching equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The larger the forging, the longer the control mechanism controls the lifting mechanism within the quenching tank.

4. The quenching equipment according to claim 3, characterized in that, The control mechanism is also used to control the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device based on the difference between the temperature of the forging detected by the sorting mechanism and the set temperature.

5. The quenching equipment according to claim 4, characterized in that, The control mechanism controls the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device to be lower when the temperature difference between the forging detected by the sorting mechanism and the set temperature is greater; conversely, the control mechanism controls the stirring speed of the circulating stirring device to be greater when the temperature difference between the forging detected by the sorting mechanism and the set temperature is smaller.

6. The quenching equipment according to claim 2, characterized in that, The sorting mechanism includes: a conveying mechanism for transporting forgings; a temperature detection mechanism for detecting the temperature of forgings; and a pushing mechanism disposed on one side of the conveying mechanism for pushing the forgings into the quenching tank. The control mechanism is used to control the pushing mechanism to push the forging out of the conveying mechanism when the temperature detected by the temperature detection mechanism is not within the set temperature range.

7. The quenching equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The circulating stirring device includes a filter device, a first and a second circulating pump, and a plurality of injection pipes; wherein, the filter device, the first and a second circulating pump, and the plurality of injection pipes are connected by a pipeline, and the quenching medium in the quenching tank is filtered by the filter device, then pumped by the first and a second circulating pump to the plurality of injection pipes, and then sprayed into the quenching tank through the plurality of injection pipes.

8. The quenching equipment according to claim 7, characterized in that, The circulating stirring device also includes a stirrer located in the quenching tank for stirring the quenching medium.

9. The quenching equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The conveying mechanism includes a chain conveyor belt and a baffle located at the end of the chain conveyor belt.

10. The quenching equipment according to claim 6, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism includes a mesh bag that carries the forging, a lifting chain connected to the mesh bag, and a drive motor that drives the lifting chain.

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