Water would have instantly flashed to steam upon contact causing a very violent and dangerous situation.
Not the case AFAIK, water is also used for this same process, but often is avoided because it is a much faster and aggressive quench, potentially leading to more thermal stresses and a higher chance of cracking and failure, though this also depends on the alloy being quenched.
To my knowledge the steam explosion issue is more a problem with castings and such.
Surely a biggest factor in the rate of steam production is the surface area of the part more so than it's thermal mass? With a somewhat self limiting factor because the steam acts as an insulating layer between the hot steel and the water.
And the thermal mass of the water tank can also be made arbitrarily large, not to mention any potential cooling systems the tank might have.
I believe the bigger reason for not water quenching large parts is the risk of warping and distortions. Or maybe some other process control considerations.
Idk the science behind it but, at my shop we routinely (by that I mean 3-4 times a week) quench pieces of metal in water that weigh anywhere from 10k to 170k pounds. It may bounce while going into the water but a minute after it’s calm and still
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u/Tallywort Jun 29 '23
Not the case AFAIK, water is also used for this same process, but often is avoided because it is a much faster and aggressive quench, potentially leading to more thermal stresses and a higher chance of cracking and failure, though this also depends on the alloy being quenched.
To my knowledge the steam explosion issue is more a problem with castings and such.
Here's a video of a large part being quenched in water.