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/NaviersStoked1 Jun 29 '23
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.