Development of a Fuzzy controller for time quenching process by means of virtual prototyping

• Grant number: 10/12797-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: November 01, 2010
• End date: April 30, 2013
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Lauralice de Campos Franceschini Canale
• Grantee: Renata Neves Penha
• Host Institution: Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos (EESC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Actually it has been intensified the search by alternative solutions to mineral oil quenchant. This interest can be justified as it is necessary to find quenchants that are safer and more economic. Time quenching can be done on water, which one is a clean and cheap quenchant. Time quenching is used to treat components of large volume or complex geometry and consists in changing the cooling rate during the quenching process. In this way, the aim of this work is to develop a Fuzzy controller capable of change the cooling severity by means of the agitation system. The controller project will be made according to virtual prototyping, where the part heat transfer is simulated by a finite element program, ABAQUS, and the agitation and heat exchange of fluid is calculated by a volume finite program, CFX.