3.

HEAT TREATMENT OF STEELS

1. Heat Treatment:
It is defined as a combination of heating and cooling operations, is any sequence of two
or more such operations applied to a material (steel) in order to modify its internal
structure or to change its physical, chemical or mechanical properties.
OR
Heat treatment is heating the material to some specific temp., holding it at that temp
for a specific period and cooling it to or below the room temperature at definite rate.

2. Objective/ Purpose/ Uses/ Applications of heat treatment:

1. To increase hardness, wear and abrasion resistance of steel.
2. To resoften the steel after it has been hardened by hardening heat treatment.
3. To change mechanical properties such as tensile strength, ductility, toughness,
fatigue etc.
4. To change electrical and magnetic properties of steel.
5. To increase its corrosion resistance.
6. To reduce or eliminate the internal residual stresses, which causes premature &
brittle failures.
7. To change the grain size of the steel.
8. To change the micro structure of the steel, for increasing machinability and
corrosion resistance.

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 3. Softening Heat Treatments
Heating or Holding or Cooling or Purposes or Properties
Temperature Time Transformation

Anneali Hypo- 20 min. per Furnace cooling i. To relieve internal

Euctectoid cm of to room stresses induced during cold
ng
steel thickness temperature. working, welding etc.
ii. To reduce hardness,
910C+50C Austenite to increase ductility,
Pearlite. machinability.
(A3+50) iii. To refine grain structure.
Hyper-
Eutectoid steel

727C+50C

(A1+50)

Normal Hypo- 20 min. per Air cooling to i. Less internal stresses are
Eutectoid steel cm of room relieved.
izing
thickness temperature. ii. Hardness, ductility,
910C+50C machinability, is more.
Austenite to iii. Less grain size uniformly
(A3+50) obtained.
Pearlite.
Hyper-
Eutectoid steel

727C+50C

(A1+50)

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 4. Hardening heat treatment
Heating or Holding or Cooling or Purposes or
Temperature Time Transformation Properties

Hardening Hypo- 20 min per cm Alloy steel- air i. To increase

Eutectoid steel of thickness. cooling. hardness &
brittleness.
910C+50C High carbon steel- ii. To decrease
oil quenching. ductility &
(A3+50) machinability.
Medium carbon iii. To increase
Hyper- cutting
steel- water or
Eutectoid steel properties of
brine quenching.
steel.
727C+50C iv. Tempering is
Austenite to
Martensite. immediately
(A1+50)
required after
hardening.
Tempering Below 727C 1-2 hrs. Air cooling to i. To relieve
room internal stresses
(A1) developed due
temperature.
to rapid cooling
Martensite to during
equilibrium hardening.
ii. To reduce
structure of ferrite hardness &
& Cementite. brittleness.
iii. To increase
ductility &
toughness.
iv. To eliminate
retained
austenite.

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 C
Martempering Above 727 Between nose Air or oil to room i. Less
& MS, till temperature distortion &
(A1) wraping as
equalization of cooling.
uniform
temperature, martensite
Austenite to
not to form formation is
Martensite
Banite. there
(never 100%). throughout.
ii. Less
possibility of
quenching
cracks.
iii. It is a
hardening
process but
name is a
misnomer i.e.
martempering.
C
Austempering Above 727 Between nose Molten salt bath i. Produces
& M5, till cooling. structures &
(A1) properties
Banite
Austenite to similar to
transformation tempered
Banite
completes. martensite.
(100%). Without
matensite
transformation.
ii. More
dimensional
stability due to
absence of
retained
austenite.
iii. Only
applicable to

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 high
hardenability
steels.
iv. Holding time
is very long, so
expense are
high.

Ausforming Above 727C Between nose Oil cooling to i. Fine

& M5, room distribution of
(A1) carbides on
Forging/Rolling temperature.
tempering.
Austenite to fine ii. Increased
dislocation
Martensite.
density in
martensite.
iii. Better
combination of
T.S. & ductility
on tempering at
low
temperature.
iv. Suitable only
for high
hardenability
steel.
Patenting Above 727C At the nose. Molten salt bath i. Used for wire
above the nose. drawing.
(A1) ii. Good
Austenite to toughness that
can resist
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 Pearlite. tensile stresses.
iii. Suitable only
for medium
carbon steel
and some alloy
steel.

Annealing Normalising Hardening Tempering

Low Carbon 0.008-0.3% Yes yes no no

Medium Carbon 0.3-0.6% Yes yes yes yes

High Carbon 0.6-1.5% Yes yes yes yes

Low Alloy Yes yes yes yes

Medium Alloy Yes yes yes yes

High Alloy Yes maybe yes yes

Tool Steels Yes no yes yes

Stainless Steel (Austenitic) Yes no no no

Stainless Steels (Ferritic) Yes no no no

Stainless Steels (Martensitic) Yes no yes yes

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 5. Case Hardening
In many applications such as Crankshafts, Camshafts, gears etc. Hard and wear
resistant surface is required with tough core to withstand impact loads, such a
requirement cannot be easily achieved as low carbon steels are tough but cannot be
hardened, High carbon steels can be hardened be hardened but are not tough, medium
carbon steels do not give optimum results.
So this requirement is fulfilled by increasing carbon and or nitrogen on the
surface of low carbon steels. This kind of a heat treatment is called as Case hardening
or Surface hardening.

Temp Processing
Process Methods
(C) Characteristics
Source of C & N is fused 1. Carbon enhances the service life of
salt bath or gaseous medium nitrided cases.
containing CH4, C2H6 with 2. Temp. is between A1 & A3 of steel.
5 10 % ammonia. 3. Time for treatment is less than an hour.
Carbo-nitriding/ 4. Case depth is small (0.075 0.25 mm)
750 - 850
Cayniding N diffuses in ferrite, C 5. Grinding or lapping not done after this
diffuses in austenite. because of small case depth.
Oil or water quenching is
preferred.

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 Temp Processing
Process Methods
(C) Characteristics
1. In solid carburizing temp is 925 950
Heating from austenite C, case depth is 1 2.5 mm & 6 15
region to room temp hrs.
(cementation). Component 2. In liquid carburizing temp is 900 925
is packed in steel or C.I box C, case depth is 0.1 0.5 mm & - 1
Carburizing 900 950
having charcoal &
bariumcarbonate with clay.
hr.
3. In gas carburizing temp is 900 C, case
depth is 0.2 0.5 mm & 1 2 hrs.

1. Component is heated in Very low distortion.

contact with atomic
nitrogen. 1. Does not require a hardening heat
2. Molten salt bath treatment as in carburizing.
containing NaCN is the 2. Close dimensional tolerances can be
source of atomic achieved.
nitrogen. 3. Fatigue & corrosion resistance is higher
3. Iron & other alloying
than carburizing.
elements form their
respective nitrides.
4. Non-metallic nitrides have low co-
efficient of friction (excellent for
bearings)
5. Higher hardness (upto 1200 VPN) as
Nitriding 550
compared to carburized components
(upto 830 VPN) also maintain it upto
600 C.
6. Nitriding suitable steels are costly.
7. Case depth of 0.5 mm only can be
obtained.
8. Time period of 24 72 hrs is required.
9. White layer formed on the surface needs
to be removed by grinding or lapping.

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