The paper presents the method and results of determination of heat transfer coefficient for air-atomized water spray cooling with consideration of infrastructural factors of industrial cooling conveyor, such as effect of accelerated air. The established values of heat transfer coefficient were implemented into a numerical model of cooling line, with special definition of sprayers and the movement of the part subjected to quenching. After quantitative validation on selected samples, the obtained coefficients were used for the solution of the technological problem by means of localized cooling rate enhancement, which forms a case study confirming reliability of the established water spray heat transfer functions and suitability of the determined models for design of thermomechanical controlled processing of complex-geometry parts.

Linear section of grains in polyhedral material microstructure is a system of chords. The mean length of chords is the linear grain size of the microstructure. For the prior austenite grains of low alloy structural steels, the chord length is a random variable of gamma- or logarithmic-normal distribution. The statistical grain size estimation belongs to the quantitative metallographic problems. The so-called point estimation is a well known procedure. The interval estimation (grain size confidence interval) for the gamma distribution was given elsewhere, but for the logarithmic-normal distribution is the subject of the present contribution. The statistical analysis is analogous to the one for the gamma distribution.

In heat treatment processes of steel the very important role plays the Fe-Fe3C phase equilibrium diagram. It enables the selection of the temperature of austenitisation in respect to carbon content in steel as well as to predict the microstructure composition of annealed steel. For numerical calculation of the phase equilibrium diagrams the CALPHAD method is applied, based on the knowledge of Gibbs energy of phases existing in alloy as functions of temperature and chemical composition of alloy, G=f(T,C). The existing phases in Fe-Fe3C system are: liquid, austenite, ferrite and cementite. The functions of Gibbs free energy, G(T,C), for these phases were published elsewhere. The basic rule for the phase equilibrium diagrams calculations is to calculate the minimum free energy, G, conditions in system for actual parameters: temperature, T, pressure, p, and chemical composition of alloy. In presented paper the algorithm for Fe-Fe3C phase diagram calculation and developed computer program, PD_Fe_Fe3C are presented. Results of calculations using this program were compared with date obtained using commercial program, Thermo-Calc and both results were identical. Developed computer program is open and can take into account the alloy elements applied in steel in order to improve their physical properties. The data base for the effect of alloying elements on the free energy of system was prepared, enabling to calculate the effect of common alloying elements, such as Mn, Cr, Si or Ni, on critical temperatures, A1, A3, Acm. The program may be used for calculation the driving force for phase transformations which occur during heat treatment of steel process as well as in modeling the image of microstructure formed during heat treatment using such numerical methods as cellular automata, CA, or phase field method, PFM.