In this study, it is proposed that the internal structures of steel bars after having been treated by the Tempcore method can be predicted by using a finite element method. In bars treated by the Tempcore method, it is seen that the amount of martensite increases and the self-tempering temperature decreases with increasing duration of quenching. The amount of martensite, the changes in the internal structure, and the self-tempering temperatures, which are determined by finite element method, give an idea of the mechanical properties of steel bars. In this study, the steel bars having 0.17% C, 0.22% Si, 0.79% Mn, 0.036% P, and 0.041% S in various diameters have been used. By using a finite element method, the heat transfer equations have been solved and the amount of phases after transformation has been determined. A Fortran 77 computer program has been developed for the study. A quenching simulation has been made utilizing the finite element method for different quenching duration; the changes in the internal structures and self-tempering temperatures have been determined for each node. The numerical results obtained via the finite element method have been compared with the experimental results. It has been seen that the agreement is reasonably good. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
