Heat Treatment Processes
Dana B. Aguto
Department of Mining, Metallurgical, and Materials Engineering
University of the Philippines - Diliman
Quezon City, Philippines
dbaguto@upd.edu.ph
1. Importance of Heat Treatment
 Heat treatment is often used to alter the mechanical
properties of metals. This includes but is not limited
to: softening metal to improve formability and
hardening metal to improve strength. Aside from
these, heat treatment can also create a corrosion-
resistant skin on parts that need extra protection from
corrosion, as well as toughen brittle products.
Without heat treatment, the properties, performance,
and durability of metals cannot be improved.
Heat treatment is required in order to attain specific
metal properties that are otherwise unattainable
through other processes. As such, it plays a critical
role in the manufacturing of essential parts in
automobiles, aircraft, technological devices, and
more. [1]
2. Methods of Heat Treatment
 There are four types of heat treatment namely:
annealing, normalizing, hardening, and tempering.
The type of heat treatment used depends majorly on
the metal, and the mechanical properties the client
wishes to achieve. [2]
- Annealing
Annealing aims to relieve internal stresses, making
the metal softer and more ductile by refining their
grain structure.
- Normalizing
Normalizing aims to relieve internal stresses induced
by heat treatment and the mechanical processes used
to work the metal. This only applies to non-ferrous
metals.
- Hardening
As the name suggests, hardening aims to increase the
hardness and the strength of the metal. The downfall
to hardening is that the metal becomes less ductile,
and consequently, more brittle. The heat treatment
Aguto, D.B. (2018)
processes classified under hardening are: carburizing,
nitriding, cyaniding, and flame hardening.
- Tempering
Lastly, tempering aims to reduce the brittleness
caused by hardening.
3. Atmospheric vs. Vacuum Chamber
 The main difference between an
atmospheric and a vacuum chamber is that
the air and other gases present in the
vacuum chamber are removed by a vacuum
pump. This produces cleaner surface
finishes, especially in metals that readily
react to the atmosphere. Using a vacuum
chamber also prevents oxidization.
4. Vacuum vs Pack Carburizing
 Pack carburizing is a process in which
carbon monoxide derived from a solid
compound decomposes at the metal surface
into nascent carbon and carbon dioxide. [3]
While vacuum carburizing allows more
control over certain parameters such as the
case depth, carbon profiles, surface and core
hardness, and microstructure of the end
product. It also allows the prediction of
distortion results. [4]
References:
[1] "What Is Heat Treating? - Heat Treating Society - Heat Treating
Society". 2016. ASTM International.
https://www.asminternational.org/web/hts/about/what-is.
[2] The Center For Seabees And Facilities Engineering Training
Manual. n.d. Port Huenne, California.
[3] Foreman, Robert W., ed. "Pack Carburizing of Steels." ASM
Handbook Volume 4, Heat Treating, 1990..
[4] Otto, Frederick J., and Daniel H. Herring. "Vacuum
Carburization of Aerospace and Automotive Materials." Heat
Treating Progress, January/February 2005..
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