Metal and Steel Heat Treatments-The Various Processes and Methods
Steel and metal heat treatments are basically the processes of heating and cooling steels and metals of other kinds with the aim being to see them change in their physical and mechanical properties while not changing them anyway in terms of their shape. By far and away, steel heat treatments have been so ideal for the need to improve on the metals’ physical properties such as their strength and at the same time, they happen to be so effective when it comes to the need to boost their mechanical properties such a formability and machining abilities or qualities. In a rather general sense, the application of heat treatments has been majorly metallurgical though it has as well a wide array of other applications some of which have been when it comes to the manufacture of glass and other items such as aluminum.
Heat treatment of steels as a process is one that often sees the heating and cooling of the metals to such high or extreme temperatures in order to achieve the desired results. Steel and metal heat treatments as such happen to be so important manufacturing processes that will serve to not aid the manufacturing process but as well will help improve the product quality and characteristics in a number of ways. The following are some of the most common of the steel and metal heat treatment techniques that you need to know of.
First of the steel and metal heat treatment techniques we will talk of in this post is that known as hardening. Talking of steel or metal hardening, this is a heat treatment technique that will see the material heated to such high temperatures as to allow the transformation of all the pearlite into austenite and then it is finally quenched or cooled down using water or oil. In order to have the best results when it comes to hardening as a method for steel and metal treatment, it would be advisable to make the heating time longer so as to make sure that the core as well gets transformed into austenite.
The second of the popularly applied steel or metal treatment techniques that you will find so commonly used out there is that known as tempering. By and large, tempering often involves the heating and hardening of steel that has been quenched and hardened for a certain period of time and this is most common for the need to allow the metals to be equilibrated.
One other of the steel and or metal heat treatment techniques that you may go for is that known as annealing. Talking of annealing, this is the steel and metal heat treatment technique that involves the heating and treating of the steel and the metals, heating them to such high temperatures then following this with a process of slow cooling which in the end see them be such products of high ductility and toughness while being low in hardness.