this questijon was asked to me yesterday i need some help....
2007-01-09 01:00:33 · 6 answers · asked by dkcaywood2005 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Depends upon the metal!
A quench refers to a rapid cooling.
In metallurgy, it is most commonly used to harden steel.
But you see steel is an alloy!!
If you QUENCH a pure metal (an element) crystallisation which would have occurred if it was cooled normally, doesnot happen and the metal becomes BRITTLE.
Normally you donot want a brittle metal .....you want a metal which is ductile,malleable, and that can be shaped desirably!
Hence rapid cooling of a hot metal is not performed on pure metals like Copper, Zinc etc.
But for alloys like steel its very essential . You see quenching is absolutely necessary for hardening of tool steel and mild steel!
2007-01-09 01:04:51 · answer #1 · answered by Som™ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
generally it depends on the metal
but for example iron it becomes some what brittle
In the cases of copper, steel, and brass this process is performed by substantially heating the material (generally until glowing) for an extended period of time and allowing it to cool slowly. the metal is softened and prepared for further work such as shaping, stamping, or forming.
2007-01-09 09:07:44 · answer #2 · answered by Subhash 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If a metal is unevenly cooled the metal will warp
rapid cooling maybe a manner of avoiding uneven cooling?
2007-01-09 09:10:42 · answer #3 · answered by dilemma 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
depends what metal but when any substance is cooled quickly the crystals that form usually are small and therefor the molecular structure determines that the metal is brittle.
2007-01-09 09:05:42 · answer #4 · answered by stan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This process is called quenching. Look it up on Google or Wikipedia.
2007-01-09 09:04:33 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
it gets cold fast
2007-01-09 09:48:25 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋