PURPOSE OF HEAT TREATMENT

 To improve machinability
 To relieve internal stresses.
 To improve mechanical properties such as
ductility, strength, hardness, etc.,
 To change the grain structure.
 To increase resistance to heat and corrosion.
 To modify electrical and magnetic properties
 To change the chemical composition
 To remove gases.
METHODS OF HEAT TREATMENT

 Annealing
 Normalising
 Hardening
 Tempering
 Case Hardening - carburising,
cyaniding, Nitriding
 Surface hardening - Induction &
Flame hardening
 Diffusion coatings.
ANNEALING

 It is one of the most important used

operations in the heat treatment of steel.
 The purpose of annealing are to obtain the
following effects on the steel:
 Soften the steel.
 Improve Machinability.
 Increase ductility and toughness.
 Eliminate in homogeneity in structures.
 Refine grain size & prepare steel for
subsequent heat treatment.
TYPES OF ANNEALING

 Full annealing .
 Process annealing.
 Spheroidise annealing.
 Homogenizing.
 Isothermal annealing.
FULL ANNEALING
 Heating the steel slightly above the critical point.
 Holding it at this temperature for considerable
period.
 Slowly cooling.
 Heating the metals to a very high temperature,
and the metal is held at the temperature for a
certain period to enable the internal changes to
takes place throughout the mass of work piece.
 The metal is cooled slowly after heating it may
be removed at high temperature and buried in a
non –conducting material such as sand, lime or
ashes.
FULL ANNEALING

 Carbon steels are cooled down at a

rate of 150° -200° c per hour while
the alloy steels in which the
austenite are cooled much slower
(30°-100°c per hour).
 By this slow cooling the austenite
decomposes to give pearlite.
PROCESS ANNEALING

 When the steel is cold worked the

hardness and elastic properties increases
while the ductility remarkably suffers and
the steel becomes unsuitable for further
plastic deformation.
 The ductility of steel may be restored by
process annealing.
 In the process annealing heating the steel
to a temperature of 500° -700° c holding
it for prolonged period and slow cooling.
PROCESS ANNEALING

 This process is applied for low carbon

steel only whereas high carbon steel
requires full annealing for re
crystallisation.
 In the process annealing new equi
axial grains gradually grows .
 This process does not produce any
new structure by the phase
transformation but produce only new
crystals on the same structure.
SPHEROIDISE ANNEALING
 The process of producing a structure of globular
pearlite is known as spheroidise annealing.
 This is performed by heating the steel to the
temperature of 730° -770° C .
 Then holding at this temperature at the rate of 25°-
30°c per hour to a temperature of 550°-600°c
• The subsequent cooling may be conducted in still
air at room temperature.
• The process transform fro lamellar pearlite in to
globular pearlite.
HOMOGENISING OR DIFFUSION ANNEALING

 This process is to eliminate the

chemical in homogeneity within the
separate crystals by diffusion.
 This is carried out at temperature
from 1100°-1200°c.
 After heating the metal is held in a
furnace for 6-8 hours to 800° -850° c
and then further cooling in air .
 Finally very fine grain structures are
formed.
ISOTHERMAL ANNEALING
 This type of annealing is carried out as for
ordinary annealing to from austenite. (600°-
700 °c)
 It is then cooled rapidly in air in a furnace to a
temperature of 50° -100° c .
 The steel is held isothermally in air at this
temperature during a certain period of time to
provide for complete decomposition of pearlite
and hence the name isothermal annealing.
 A homogeneous structure of metal is
obtained.
NORMALISING

 The main purpose of doing the normalising is

to improve the following:
 Internal stresses.
 Mechanical properties of the steel.
 The process of normalising to heat the
metal within the normalising range.
 Holding at this temperature for a short time
(15 min)
 Cooling in air.
 During this a homogeneous structure of
ferrite and sorbite are obtained.
HARDENING

 The purpose of hardening are as follows:

 To develop high hardness to resist wear
and enable to cut other metals.
 To improve strength, elasticity, ductility,
and toughness.
 The process consist of heating the steel
to above its critical point.
 Holding this for a considerable period.
 Quenching rapid cooling in water, oil, or
molten salt bath.
HARDENING

 Rapid cooling should enable the

austenite to be supercooled to the
martensite.
 Alloy steels and high speed steels
are heated for hardening to about
1100°-1300°c and cooled in current
air.
 At this condition the austenite
decompose to give martensite.
MARTEMPERING

 Martempering or interrupted
quenching is a hardening operation
produces martensite.
 In this method the steel is heated to
a hardening temperature and then
quenched in a medium of usually salt
bath where martensite start to form
(150°-300° C)
 The austenite is decomposed to
martensite during the last period of
AUSTEMPERING

 In the austempering isothermal

quenching the steel is heated to the
hardening temperature and then
quenched in molten salt bath or lead
bath at a temperature of (300°-350°
c)

 During this isothermal

transformation of austenite
decomposes to bainite.
TEMPERING

 The main purpose of doing

tempering is as follows:
 To stabilise the structure of the
metal.
 To reduce the internal stresses.
 To increase the ductility of the metal.
 To give the metal right structural
condition combined with toughness
and shock resistance.
PROCESS OF TEMPERING

 Reheating the steel after hardening.

 Holding it for considerable time
 Slow cooling.
 Classification of Tempering:
 Low temperature Tempering
 Medium temperature Tempering
 High temperature Tempering
TYPES OF TEMPERING

 Low temperature tempering:

 The purpose of doing this type of
tempering is to increase the ductility
of the metal.
 The tempering is done from 150°-
250° c.
 This type of heat treatment is
applied to low alloy steels, cutting
tools etc.,
TYPES OF TEMPERING

 Medium Temperature Tempering:

 This type of treatment is carried out
at the temperature of 350°-450° c.
 This treatment will increase the
strength of the metal and also
increase the elongation and ductility
of the metal .
 It is mainly applied to the articles
which are subject to impact load
such as chisels, hammers, springs,
TYPES OF TEMPERING

 High Temperature Tempering:

 This is done in the range of 500°-
650° c.
 This will improve the internal stress
in the metal.
 It will imparts high ductility to parts,
and permit them to retain adequate
hardness.
 This is applied to the machine parts
like gear wheels, shafts, connecting
CARBURISATION
 In this process the iron or steel is heated to
red hot in contact with some carbonaceous
materials such as wood, bone, leather,
charcoal with compounds such as carbonates
of Ba, Ca, or Na which are termed as
energizers.
 These energizers are added with the materials
to increase the concentration of the Co and
improve the rate of carburising.
 Thus the carbon enter to the metal and form a
solid solution with iron and converts the outer
surface in to a high carbon steel.
CYANIDING

 I t is a process of producing hard

surface on the low carbon steel or
medium carbon steel.
 By immersing the steel in a molten
salt bath containing cyanide
maintained at 800-900c and
quenching in water or oil.
 The hardness produced by this
treatment is due to the presence of
compounds of nitrogen as well as
CYANIDING

 A bath containing one –third of NaCl,

Na 2CO3 and
NaCN is used for the cyanide
treatment (850° C)
• This will increase the thickness of
the steel.
NITRIDING
 Nitriding is a process of producing hard surface in
the alloy steel only.
 Heating the steel in the atmosphere of ammonia
at the temperature of 500-650° C .
 The ammonia is dissociated and the nascent
hydrogen combines with the steel to form
nitrides.
 These nitrides gives extreme hardness to the
surface.
 Nitriding is used on many automotive , airplane
and diesel engine wearing parts, as well as
numerous parts like gears, clutches, etc.,
INDUCTION HARDENING
 Induction hardening plays a major role in bearing
areas of crank shafts, cam shafts, axle shafts,
and similar wearing surfaces.
 In this process a high frequency current of about
2000hertz is passed through copper inductor
block which act as a primary coil of transformer.
 The hardening temp is about 750-760° c for 0.5%
carbon steel and 790-800° c for alloy steel.
 The heated areas are quenched immediately by
sprays of water delivered through numerous
holes in the block.
FLAME HARDENING

 The process of hardening steel by

heating it with the flame of an oxy
acetylene torch is known as flame
hardening.
 In this method heating process is
very rapid .
 It is possible to make the steel hard
by flame hardening rather in a
furnace.
 The amount of time required for
DIFFUSION COATING

 Diffusion coating or metallic cementation

is the process of impregnating the
surface of steel with aluminium,
chromium, silicon, boron, and beryllium
etc.,
 It is done by heating and holding the steel
parts in direct contact with one of the
above elements which may be in the
solid, liquid and gaseous state.
 It will impart the corrosion and wear
resistance.