DANTE Model Advantages

Featured DANTE Material Models

DANTE heat treatment simulation software sets the standard for accuracy and versatility in the industry. With advanced material models, an extensive material database, and the ability to customize data and characterize processes, DANTE provides powerful advantages over other software. Whether modeling austenite decomposition, mechanical plasticity, carburizing, nitriding, or tempering, DANTE captures the critical physics of heat treatment. Our unique models, such as rate-dependent austenitizing, nonlinear hardness, and low- to high-temperature tempering, enable precise prediction of distortion, stress, and microstructural changes. Combined with customizable material and process data, DANTE helps manufacturers and researchers reduce trial-and-error, optimize cycles, and deliver consistent, high-quality results.

To learn more about a specific DANTE material model, click a section below:

Austenite Decomposing Model
Mechanical Plasticity Model
Rate Dependent Austenitizing Model
Tempering and Nonlinear Hardness Model
Carburizing and Nitriding Model

If you have a general question or want to inquire about the DANTE material models, please contact support@dante-solutions.com.

Austenite Decomposing Model

The DANTE Austenite Decomposing model is carbon and chemical composition dependent.
Upper and lower bainite are treated as separate phases.
Carbon in austenite is affected by heating time and temperature with initial carbide decomposing.
Austenite decomposing model includes phase transformations of austenite to diffusive phases and martensite during cooling or quenching.
Transformations are time and temperature dependent.
DANTE uses analytical equations instead of TTT diagrams for robustness.
TTT diagrams can be plotted from material database to view the materials behavior.

Phase transformations during cooling (quenching) are chemical composition (carbon and alloy content) and grain size dependent
Chemical composition can be specified directly in the 3D FEA models.
The strains caused by temperature change and phase transformations are described effectively.

Latent Heat Model due to Phase Transformation

Effective material model considering the latent heat from austenitizing and austenite decomposing.
- For fast heating processes (induction hardening or laser hardening), the latent heat effect on austenitizing depth is significant.
- The latent heat effect of bulky parts with martensitic transformation is significant.

Auto Tempering Model During Quenching or Cooling

For alloys with high martensite start temperature (Ms), the auto temper of formed martensite during cooling is modeled.
- This capability is essential for accurately predicting hardness, since the hardness of tempered martensite depends on the specific tempering conditions, including the cooling rate.

Carbon Partitioning Model

During cooling, the carbon in austenite increases while forming ferrite (carbon partition).
- With higher carbon in austenite, the material’s hardenability increases, and Ms decreases.
- The material model is helpful to more accurately predict the residual stress, distortion, and hardness of heat-treated parts.
Depending on the heat treatment process history, the actual carbon in each phase can be different.

Initial Carbide Decomposing Model during Austenitizing

With different carbides and carbide size in the initial material, their decomposing rates in austenite are different.
- The amount of carbon in austenite solution is modeled by the carbide decomposing material model.
- This material model is necessary for modeling high carbon steel with a portion of carbide in solution during austenitizing (AISI 52100)
- This material model is necessary for high heating rate austenitizing processes: induction hardening and laser hardening.

Mechanical Plasticity Model

Plasticity model is functions of strain, strain rate, temperature, carbon, and microstructure phase.
The DANTE Mechanical Plasticity Model utilizes nonlinear multiple phase mixture law.
Effective for stress reversal during quench hardening and service.
Yield stress is different with stress reversal (Bauschinger) Effect, which requires kinematic hardening (DANTE Mechanical Model)
Constitutive equation considers the effect of carbides.

Stress Reversal during Quench Hardening

During quench hardening, stress happens with the nonlinear effects of thermal stress, phase transformation stress, and geometric effect.
Stress reversal may also happen to parts in service (fatigue with R < 0)
Mechanical model with kinematic hardening is required to model the different yield behavior (Bauschinger Effect).
DANTE uses Internal State variable (ISV) model with kinematic hardening.

Kinematic Hardening Model with Bauschinger Effect

Yield stress with work hardening in one direction decreases when unload, and load in opposite direction (Bauschinger effect).
Figure on the right is a reverse loading stress-strain curve plotted using DANTE ISV model.
Traditional effective strain model can not effectively describe this phenonmenon.

Effective Mechanical Model to Describe Strains

DANTE mechanical model is effective to describe the various strains during heat treatment.

Accurate description of strains is necessary for residual stress and distortion modeling.

The type of strains considered in the DANTE material models include:
- Thermal strain
- Strain for austenitizing
- Strain from austenite decomposing
- Strain from martensite temper, carbide precipitation and coarsening
- Strain from adding carbon/carbide, nitrogen/nitridie during carburizing or nitriding processes
- Strain from stress relaxation and creeping

Rate Dependent Austenitizing Model

Suitable for both low and high heating rate (austenitizing) processes.
- Low heating rate: furnace heating (vacuum or atmosphere)
- High heating rate: induction heating, laser heating, etc.
The DANTE Rate Based Austenitizing Model is effective for describing the amount of carbon in austenite solution.

With different austenitizing temperatures and soaking times, the martensite start temperature is different during quenching.
DANTE rate dependent austenitizing and carbide decomposing material models can be used effectively to describe the phenomenon shown in the Figure on the right.
- Necessary for accurate
  - Residual stress prediction
  - Distortion prediction
  - Phase and hardness prediction

Effective carbide decomposing model to describe the carbon change in austenite:
- As a function of initial carbide size and fraction
- As a function of austenitizing time
- As a function of soaking temperature

Tempering and Nonlinear Hardness Models

The DANTE tempering models can account for both low and high temperature tempering.
Time and temperature dependent martensite to tempered martensite transformation included.
The DANTE tempering models can simulate carbide precipitaion and coarsening for hardness and strength.

Carbide Precipitation and Coarsening

DANTE tempering model is time and temperature dependent with the following features:
- Time and temperature dependent transformation from martensite to tempered martensite
- Iron carbide coarsening, which describes softening due to temper.
- Alloy carbide precipitation and coarsening which describes the secondary hardening effect.

DANTE tempering model can also be used to describe the material volume change during tempering.
- Model is carbon dependent with description of carbide size distribution.
- This model is critical for residual stress change or tempering cracks.

Nonlinear Hardness Model

Hardness is calculated based on mixture law using calculated volume fraction of phases. The hardness model also considers:
- the contribution from iron carbide and allow carbide.
- the material softening due to iron carbide coarsening.
- the secondary hardening (allow carbide, precipitation and coarsening)

Carburizing and Nitriding Model

Carbide Forming/Decomposing during Carburizing

For alloy steels with carbide forming elements, carbides may form during the carburizing process.
- The carburizing process should be designed and optimized to avoid detrimental carbides.
During low pressure carburizing (LPC) of high allow steels, carbide forms during the boost step, which provides an extra carbon source during the diffuse step.
- The amount of carbide forming, coarsening rate, and decomposing rate during the boost/diffuse steps affect the final result: surface carbon, case depth, and carbide distribution.
DANTE carburizing material model can be used to model carbide forming and decomposing.

For high alloy steels with carbide forming elements, carbide forming is unavoidable during LPC.
- With the DANTE material models (carburizing models), the boost/diffuse process can be designed to minimize the depth and amount of unwanted carbides.

DANTE Nitriding Model

DANTE Nitriding models include:
- Diffusion of nitrogen
- Formation and dissolving of ε-nitride (white layer)
- Formation and dissolving of γ-nitride (alloy nitride)
- Material volume expansion caused by nitriding
  - Necessary for distortion and residual stress simulation.