Quenching solutions act only through their ability to cool the steel. They have no beneficial chemical action on the quenched steel and in themselves impart no unusual properties. Most requirements for quenching media are met satisfactorily by water or aqueous solutions of inorganic salts, such as table salt or caustic soda, or by some type of oil. The rate of cooling is relatively rapid during quenching in brine, somewhat less rapid in water, and slow in oil.

Brine usually is made of a 5 to 10 percent solution of salt (sodium chloride) in water. In addition to its greater cooling speed, brine has the ability to “throw” the scale from steel during quenching. Their temperature considerably affects the cooling ability of both water and brine, particularly water. Both should be kept cold—well below 60 °F. If the volume of steel being quenched tends to raise the temperature of the bath appreciably, add ice or use some means of refrigeration to cool the quenching bath.

There are many specially prepared quenching oils on the market; their cooling rates do not vary widely. A straight mineral oil with a Saybolt viscosity of about 100 at 100 °F is generally used. Unlike brine and water, the oils have the greatest cooling velocity at a slightly elevated temperature— about 100–140 °F—because of their decreased viscosity at these temperatures.

When steel is quenched, the liquid in immediate contact with the hot surface vaporizes; this vapor reduces the rate of heat abstraction markedly. Vigorous agitation of the steel or the use of a pressure spray quench is necessary to dislodge these vapor films and thus permit the desired rate of cooling.

The tendency of steel to warp and crack during the quenching process is difficult to overcome because certain parts of the article cool more rapidly than others. The following recommendations greatly reduce the warping tendency.

The quenching tank should be of the proper size to handle the material being quenched. Use circulating pumps and coolers to maintain approximately constant temperatures when doing a large amount of quenching. To avoid building up a high concentration of salt in the quenching tank, make provisions for adding fresh water to the quench tank used for molten salt baths.

Tank location in reference to the heat-treating furnace is very important. Situate the tank to permit rapid transfer of the part from the furnace to the quenching medium. A delay of more than a few seconds, in many instances, proves detrimental to the effectiveness of the heat-treatment. During transfer to the quench tank, employ guard sheets to retard the loss of heat when heat-treating material of thin section. Provide a rinse tank to remove all salt from the material after quenching if the salt is not adequately removed in the quenching tank.

The first important consideration in the heat-treatment of a steel part is to know its chemical composition. This, in turn, determines its upper critical point. When the upper critical point is known, the next consideration is the rate of heating and cooling to be used. Carrying out these operations involves the use of uniform heating furnaces, proper temperature controls, and suitable quenching mediums.

Changing the internal structure of a ferrous metal is accomplished by heating to a temperature above its upper critical point, holding it at that temperature for a time sufficient to permit certain internal changes to occur, and then cooling to atmospheric temperature under predetermined, controlled conditions.

At ordinary temperatures, the carbon in steel exists in the form of particles of iron carbide scattered throughout an iron matrix known as “ferrite.” The number, size, and distribution of these particles determine the hardness of the steel. At elevated temperatures, the carbon is dissolved in the iron matrix in the form of a solid solution called “austenite,” and the carbide particles appear only after the steel has been cooled. If the cooling is slow, the carbide particles are relatively coarse and few. In this condition, the steel is soft. If the cooling is rapid, as by quenching in oil or water, the carbon precipitates as a cloud of very fine carbide particles, and the steel is hard. The fact that the carbide particles can be dissolved in austenite is the basis of the heat-treatment of steel. The temperatures at which this transformation takes place are called the critical points and vary with the composition of the steel. The percent of carbon in the steel has the greatest influence on the critical points of heat-treatment.

Pure iron, wrought iron, and extremely low carbon steels cannot be appreciably hardened by heat-treatment, since they contain no hardening element. Cast iron can be hardened, but its heat-treatment is limited. When cast iron is cooled rapidly, it forms white iron, which is hard and brittle. When cooled slowly, it forms gray iron, which is soft but brittle under impact.

In plain carbon steel, the maximum hardness depends almost entirely on the carbon content of the steel. As carbon content increases, the ability of steel to harden also increases. However, this increase in the ability to harden with an increase in carbon content continues only to a certain point. In practice, that point is 0.85 percent carbon content. When the carbon content is increased beyond 0.85 percent, there is no increase in wear resistance.

For most steels, the hardening treatment consists of heating the steel to a temperature just above the upper critical point, soaking or holding for the required length of time, and then cooling it rapidly by plunging the hot steel into oil, water, or brine. Although most steels must be cooled rapidly for hardening, a few may be cooled in still air. Hardening increases the hardness and strength of the steel but makes it less ductile.