Quenching a component

A component in the form of a wheel, comprising:

• a hub portion,
• a rim portion with an outer rim flange and an inner rim flange, wherein a wheel center plane is defined between the outer rim flange and the inner rim flange, and
• a plurality of circumferentially distributed spokes extending between the hub portion and the rim portion,
• wherein the spokes and the hub portion are arranged offset with respect to the wheel center plane towards the outer rim flange and include an inner side facing the wheel center plane and an outer side facing away from the wheel center plane,
• wherein the outer rim flange has, at least in a partial region, tensile residual stresses effective in a circumferential direction which are greater than residual stresses effective in circumferential direction in at least a partial region of the inner rim flange.

A method of quenching a component,

• wherein the component is configured in form of a wheel comprising a hub portion, a rim portion, and a plurality of circumferentially distributed spokes extending between the hub portion and the rim portion,
• wherein the rim portion comprises an outer rim flange, a rim bed and an inner rim flange, with a wheel center plane defined between the outer rim flange and the inner rim flange,
• wherein the spokes and the hub portion are arranged offset with respect to the wheel center plane towards the outer rim flange and have an inner side facing the wheel center plane and an outer side facing away from the wheel center plane,
• wherein the spokes are quenched before the hub portion is quenched.

A device for quenching a component in the form of a wheel having a hub portion, a rim portion, and a plurality of circumferentially distributed spokes extending between the hub portion and the rim portion, with the spokes and the hub portion having an outer side and an inner side, the device comprising:

• at least one hub outer cooling unit for quenching the outer side of the hub portion,
• at least one hub inner cooling unit for quenching the inner side of the hub portion,
• at least one spoke outer cooling unit for quenching the outer sides of the spokes,
• at least one rim cooling unit for quenching the rim portion,
• wherein the hub outer cooling unit, the hub inner cooling unit, the spoke outer cooling unit and the rim cooling unit are each configured to spray a cooling medium onto the wheel, and
• a control unit configured to control the hub outer cooling unit, the hub inner cooling unit, the spoke outer cooling unit and the rim cooling unit independently of one another in terms of time.