การออกแบบและพัฒนาบ่อชุบแข็งด้วยน้ำมันสำหรับอุตสาหกรรมการผลิตมีดชุมชน

Prasart Pupram; Bhuriphat Saenpong; Manop Donmuen; Thongchai Khrueaphue; Parinyawatr Dhinnabutra

doi:10.57260/stc.2026.1719

Authors

Prasart Pupram Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Khon Kaen Campus
Bhuriphat Saenpong Faculty of Engineering, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Khon Kaen Campus
Manop Donmuen Faculty of Industrial Education, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Khon Kaen Campus
Thongchai Khrueaphue Faculty of Agricultural Technology and Industrial Technology, Phetchabun Rajabhat University
Parinyawatr Dhinnabutra Faculty of Industrial Education, Rajamangala University of Technology Isan, Khon Kaen Campus

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.57260/stc.2026.1719

Keywords:

Oil quenching, Quenching tank, Energy balance, AISI 5160 steel, Community-based knife

Abstract

Community-based knife manufacturing, which uses AISI 5160 steel as the primary blade material, often encounters high defect rates associated with water quenching, primarily due to the severe cooling rate, which can contribute to cracking and variability in mechanical properties. This study aims to 1) design and develop an oil quenching tank based on energy balance principles, 2) evaluate system performance through hardness testing and microstructural analysis, and 3) compare the outcomes with conventional water quenching under different processing conditions. Machetes made of AISI 5160 steel were used as test specimens. The design results indicated that the minimum required oil volume was 2.0 liters per quenching cycle, and a quenching tank with an operating volume of 6 liters was developed to enhance thermal stability; the oil temperature during continuous operation remained below 82 °C, safely beneath the flash point. At the specimen level (n = 6 per group), the oil-quenched group exhibited a higher average hardness than the water-quenched group (54.67 ± 1.31 HRC vs 52.80 ± 1.75 HRC), with a large effect size (Cohen's d = 1.21) and a lower coefficient of variation (2.40% vs 3.31%). Although the difference in hardness approached conventional statistical significance (Welch's t-test, p = 0.065) due to the small sample size, the markedly reduced variability reflects a superior and highly consistent process. SEM microstructural analysis supported these findings, revealing that oil-quenched samples exhibited a finer and more uniform structure, suggesting features consistent with a tempered martensitic microstructure. However, the mechanical properties were influenced by both the quenching medium and process conditions. In conclusion, the developed oil quenching system not only exhibits potential for enhancing specimen hardness but concretely resolves process variability. It demonstrates significant potential for improving mechanical consistency and can serve as a practical engineering guideline for upgrading quenching processes in community-based industries.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Apichai, P. (2020). Effects of quenchants on microstructures and mechanical properties of steel grade AISI 5160. Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals, 30(3), 15–23. https://doi.org/10.55713/jmmm.v30i3.631

ASTM International. (2007). ASTM D6710-02(2007): Standard guide for evaluation of hydrocarbon-based quench oils. ASTM International.

ASTM International. (2023a). ASTM E165/E165M-23: Standard practice for liquid penetrant testing for general industry. ASTM International.

ASTM International. (2023b). ASTM E407-23: Standard practice for microetching metals and alloys. ASTM International.

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Dhinnabutra, P., & Nansaang, S. (2022). Development hardening process of big knife: Case study: Muang Wan knife products, Nam Phong District, Khon Kaen Province. In Proceedings of the Conference of Industrial Engineering Network (IE NETWORK 2022) (pp. 405–411).

Dossett, J. L. (2020). Transformation of austenite and quenching of steel. In Practical heat treating: Basic principles (pp. 55–78). ASM International. https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.tb.phtbp.t59310055

FM Global. (2022). Data Sheet 7-41: Heat treating of materials using oil quenching and molten salt baths. FM Global Property Loss Prevention Data Sheets. https://www.fm.com

Krauss, G. (1999). Martensite in steel: Strength and structure. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 273–275, 40–57. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-5093(99)00288-9

López-García, R. D., García-Pastor, F. A., Maldonado-Reyes, A., Jiménez-Gómez, M. A., & Rodríguez-García, J. A. (2019). Analysis of the effect of immersion rate on the distortion and residual stresses in quenched SAE 5160 steel using FEM. Journal of Materials Research and Technology, 8(6), 5557–5571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmrt.2019.09.024

Lozano, D. E., Martínez-Cázares, G. M., & Bedolla-Gil, Y. (2024). Metallurgical fundamentals of quenching. In G. E. Totten, R. S. Otero, X. Luo, & L. C. F. Canale (Eds.), ASM Handbook, Vol. 4F: Quenchants and quenching technology (pp. 3–25). ASM International. https://doi.org/10.31399/asm.hb.v4F.a0006995

MacKenzie, D. S. (2024). Calculating quench tank size for continuous furnaces. Gear Solutions. https://gearsolutions.com/departments/hot-seat/calculating-quench-tank-size-for-continuous-furnaces/

Montgomery, D. C. (2019). Design and analysis of experiments. (10th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.

Ramesh, G., & Prabhu, K. N. (2014). Wetting and cooling performance of mineral oils for quench heat treatment of steels. ISIJ International, 54(6), 1426–1435. https://doi.org/10.2355/isijinternational.54.1426

Rhayim, T. (2010). A study of community handicraft products of knife-making group in the middle region of Thailand. https://so01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/ajnu/article/view/26372

Samuel, A., & Prabhu, K. N. (2022). Residual stress and distortion during quench hardening of steels: A review. Journal of Materials Engineering and Performance, 31(7), 5161–5188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11665-022-06667-x

Sudiyanto, A., Amalia, Y., & Pujiyulianto, E. (2021). The effect of varying quenching media on cooling time and microstructures of leaf spring steel AISI 5160. AIP Conference Proceedings, 2363(1), 030024. https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0066030

Thai Industrial Standards Institute. (2003). TCPS 82/2546: Thai community product standard for knives. TISI.

The World Bank. (2023). Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) – Thailand. World Development Indicators. https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?locations=TH

Totten, G. E., Bates, C. E., & Clinton, N. A. (1993). Handbook of quenchants and quenching technology. ASM International.

Welch, B. L. (1947). The generalization of 'Student's' problem when several different population variances are involved. Biometrika, 34(1/2), 28–35. https://doi.org/10.2307/2332510