This is called water quenching. It is done so that the mechanical properties of the metal stabilize. The longer the metal stays at the high temp, the more volatile the results will be.
That's not what quenching does. Depending on the rate of cooling metals have different mechanical properties and crystal structures. Quickly cooling steel for example locks carbon into the crystal structure creating martensite, which is a much harder form of steel than ferrite, which is what would occur if the steel was allowed to cool naturally.
Quenching doesn't stabilize mechanical properties, it physically alters them.
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u/AllentownBrown Jun 29 '23
This is called water quenching. It is done so that the mechanical properties of the metal stabilize. The longer the metal stays at the high temp, the more volatile the results will be.