HEAT TREATMENT

INTRO
Various types of heat treatment processes are:

Annealing

Normalizing

Hardening

Tempering

Refining
Annealin
g
Annealing is one of the most important heat treatment
operation applied to steel. It is the process of heating
the steel in a furnace to a point not exceeding 50
above its upper critical point.

Maintaining the steel at that temperature for a

considerable time (30-60 minutes) to convert the
whole steel to austenite.

Steel is allowed to cool down slowly through a medium

of hot sand, hot ashes or hot lime dust. The rate of
cooling is to be maintained at 150-200C per hour.
Purpose
(a) To soften the metal. i.e. While working on metals
in cold condition, it becomes hard. For further work
on the metal without any cracks, it should be soften
by annealing process.
(b) To improve machinability.
(c) To refine grain size, structure and to improve
mechanical properties.
(d) To relieve internal stresses which were
developed during working over the metal.
(e) To modify physical properties.
(f) To increase ductility of metal.
(g) To prepare the steel for cold working.
Types of Annealing

Low Temperature Annealing (Spherodising)This

process consists of heating the steel to a temperature little
below the lower critical point and cooling is done to carbon
steels at a very slow rate (25 to 30C per hour) before cold
working. This process reduces hardness to the minimum
and brings the steel to elastic limit and yield point. Full
annealing after the cold working will restore its original
property.

Blue AnnealingSeverely cold worked steels, which are

quite hardened and have a very high yield point, are heated
to 300C( blue color) in an open furnace and cooled down
slowly. It helps to work further on the sheet without crack.

Box AnnealingIn this process the job is kept in a closed

annealing pot or box, heated to a sub-critical temperature
and cooled down slowly together with box. It is used mainly
for sheet, strip, or wire.
Black AnnealingIn this process, the iron base alloys are
heated to 400C and cooled down slowly. After this the job
appears in a black color, which is free from oxide.

Flame AnnealingWhen hollowing on a sheet or working on a

particular part or area of large job, the area tends to become
hard due to work hardening. It is impossible to work further. For
further working, the part or area of a job is to be softened. It is
done by heating the job by the oxy-acetylene flame to light
redcolor(800C) and cooled down slowly.

Pack AnnealingIn this process the articles are covered with

sand (pack), heated to a light red color (800C) and cooled
down slowly together with pack. It is done on various shock
resisting tool steel like chuck key, power tools, etc.

Water AnnealingThis is a process of heating the article to

above its upper critical point, slowly cooling it down to black
heat (approx. 400C) and then finally quenching in water. This is
carried out to speed up the annealing process when there is lack
Isothermal AnnealingIsothermal annealing reduces the
total time required for an annealing operation. In this process,
steel is heated to austenite state and then cooling it down to a
temperature of about 650C at a relatively faster rate. Then it is
held at constant temperature i.e. isothermally for some time and
then cooling it down to the room temperature at a rapid rate.
 questions
Table 2-1.-Heat Colors for Steel
Table 2-2.-Approximate Soaking Periods for Hardening, Annealing, and
Normalizing Steel
Normalizing
Hardening
In hardening process, the steel is first heated to a point
exceeding 50C above the upper critical point for hypo-
eutectoid steels and 30-50C above for hyper-eutectoid steel.

Then the steel is soaked at this temperature for a considerable

time to ensure that all the pearlite and cementite have
changed into austenite. After that the steel is cooled rapidly to
keep the austenite to remain as such at room temperature.

This process consists of two operations heating and

quenching. If these two operations are properly carried out,
then the required structure is obtained.
Effects of Hardening.
(a) Maximum hardness.
(b) Smallest grain size.
(c) Minimum ductility.
(d) Maximum tenacity.

Work HardeningLow
carbon steels which have
been cold rolled or
hammered, become hard
to a certain extent,
thereby increasing yield
point and ultimate
strength with reduction of
ductility and toughness.
Case hardening
Case Hardening is a process of hardening ferrous alloys so that
the surface layer or case is made substantially harder than the
interior or core. The chemical composition of the surface layer
is altered during the treatment by the addition of carbon,
nitrogen, or both.

Another general application of the case hardening is on

camshafts and special purpose screws, mainly the self drilling
screws.

Flame HardeningThis is a surface hardening process done

by the oxy-acetylene flame. In this process heat is applied to
the skin of the job and then before the heat penetrates to the
core, it is suddenly cooled. This method is normally used on
pinions, gear surface, crown wheels, cams and camshafts .
Examples
Induction
hardening
It is frequently desirable to harden only the surface of steels
by simply changing their microstructure without altering the
chemical composition of the surface layers. If steel contains
sufficient carbon to respond to hardening, it is possible to
harden the surface layers only by very rapid heating for a
short period of time, thus conditioning the surface for
hardening by quenching.

Induction Hardening allows the selective hardening of a part
to achieve desired hardness over a specific area and depth.
Because the part is selectively heated, the heat-affected zone
can be adjusted to minimize distortion and other problems.
Surface hardening with induction creates parts that have
excellent resistance to fatigue. A hard outer case is created
over a ductile core, with high compressive forces at the
surface.
Induction HardeningThis is a surface hardening process, in which
the heating medium is the high frequency current. No sooner is the
surface heated, the supply of the current is shut-off and a high-
pressure jet of water sprayed on the job.
The hardening temperature of Ni-Cr steel of 900-1000 C and that of
high-speed steel is 1100-1300C.
CARBURIZIN
G
Carburizing is a process used to harden low carbon steels that
normally would not respond to quenching and tempering.
Carburizing introduces carbon into a solid ferrous alloy by heating
the metal in contact with a carbonaceous material to a temperature
above the transformation range and holding at that temperature.
The depth of penetration of carbon is dependent on temperature,
time at temperature, and the composition of the carburizing agent.
As a rough indication, a carburized depth of about .0.030 to 0.050
inches can be obtained in about 4 hours at 1700F, depending upon
the type of carburizing agent, which may be a solid, liquid, or gas.
Once the carburization is complete, the parts must be hardened and
tempered to obtain the desired properties of both the core and the
case.
CARBONITRIDING
Carbonitriding, also called Nitrocarburizing, is a
process for case hardening steel part in a gas-
carburizing atmosphere that contains ammonia in
controlled percentages.
The process is carried on above the transformation
range, up to 1700F.
The parts are then quenched in oil to obtain
maximum hardness. The depth to which carbon
and nitrogen penetrate varies with temperature
and time.
The penetration of carbon is approximately the
same as that obtained in Gas Carburizing
GAS NITRIDING
Gas Nitriding consists of subjecting machined and
heat-treated steel, free from surface decarburization,
to the action of a nitrogenous medium, usually
ammonia gas, at a temperature of approximately
950F to 1050F, creating a very hard surface.
Because of the low temperatures required for Gas
Nitriding, distortion is very low compared to other
Case Hardening processes.
Because Gas Nitriding is carried out at a relatively
low temperature, it is advantageous to use quenched
and tempered steel as the base material.
Tempering
Tempering involves heating steel that has been quenched
and hardened for an adequate period of time so that the
metal can be equilibrated. The hardness and strength
obtained depend upon the temperature at which tempering is
carried out.

Higher temperatures will result into high ductility, but low

strength and hardness. Low tempering temperatures will
produce low ductility, but high strength and hardness.

In practice, appropriate tempering temperatures are selected

that will produce the desired level of hardness and strength.
This operation is performed on all carbon steels that have
been hardened, in order to reduce their brittleness, so that
they can be used effectively in desired applications.

The object of tempering is to remove excessive brittleness

and induce toughness.
Different Methods of TemperingThe different methods of
tempering are:

(a)Austie TemperingSteel jobs of smaller diameter not

exceeding1/4 and containing 0.9% carbon are heated to
above the upper critical point and quenched in a salt or lead
bismuth bath of 260-340C. When the job reaches the
temperature of bath, it is removed and quenched in water. This
method does not promote the formation of martensite. Thus
there are no stress/strain effects, but strength, ductility and
hardness are induced.

(b)Mar TemperingIn this process the steel is heated above

its upper critical point and quenched in a bath (260C). It is
held in the bath for a definite time and then cooled down to
room temperature in still air. The transformation of martensite
takes place under conditions of slow rate of cooling and
therefore, internal stresses are reduced to a greater extent.
Colour Method.If a piece of clean polished steel is
heated, it will be seen that a series of colours appear on the
surface as the temperature rises. By heating the hardened
job until a particular colour appears, a definite amount of
brittleness is removed. Always quench the job when the
required colour appears. The colour should be observed on a
dark background or in the shade, because colours vary with
the intensity of light. There are two methods of hardening
and tempering by colours:

(a) Single heating method

(b) Double heating method
Single Heating MethodThis method is used when the
body of the tool is to be left soft and tough, while the working
edge is to be hardened and tempered e.g. cold chisels, screw
drivers, punches, scribers and drifts etc.

Process Heat approximately half the tool from the working

edge upwards to a cherry red colour. Now dip half the heated
portion into water, moving the tool up and down to prevent
the formation of water line. When the cooled part becomes
black, remove the tool and quickly polish the tip. The heat
from the upper part will flow down to the lower part. When a
dark purple colour (290C) appears on the polished tip,
quench the whole tool in water.
Double Heating MethodThis method is employed where the
whole body is to be hardened and tempered and the shank alone left
soft and tough. In this method the body (tool) is heated up to its
upper critical point and quenched drastically for hardening. In the
second heating, it is heated up to tempering temperature and again
quenched. This method is followed for drills, reamers, scrapers,
hacksaw blades etc.

Alloy Bath MethodAn alloy bath consists of lead and tin in

varying proportions which, when melted, will have temperatures
varying between 180-320C depending upon the percentage of each
of the constituents. Hardened articles are immersed in this molten
bath, which is maintained at the tempering temperature required, till
they reach the temperature of the bath. They are then quickly cooled
in water.
Oil Bath MethodIn this method, oil, having a high flash
point (where oil starts burning into flame), is heated to the
required temperature. The article to be tempered is
immersed in it until the article attains the temperature of
the oil. The job is then cooled in water.

Flash MethodIn this method the job is heated to its

upper critical point and then quenched in hardening oil. It is
then removed from the oil and held in a clean fire until the
oil flashes. It is then cooled in water. This method is normally
used for coil springs.

Hot Sand MethodLarge hardened articles are covered

with sand and heated to tempering temperature. It is then
removed and quenched as usual. The correct temperature is
ascertained by means of a thermometer.

Salt Bath MethodSalts with low fusion points, such as

potassium and sodium are mixed and melted and the
hardened articles are immersed in it. After they attain the
Normalizing
The process consists of heating of steel to a point 40 to 50C
above its upper critical temperature. Hold at that temperature
for a short duration and subsequently cooling in still air at room
temperature. This is also known as air quenching. It produces
microstructures consisting of ferrite and pearlite for hypo
-eutectoid steels and pearlite and cementite for hypereutectoid
steels.

PurposeNormalizing is done for the following purposes:

(a) To eliminate coarse grain structure which is produced during
forging, rolling, etc.
(b) To improve machinability.
(c) To reduce internal stresses.
(d) To improve certain mechanical properties.
Effects Of Normalizing
(a) Normalizing raises the yield point, ultimate tensile
strength and impact strength of steel.
(b) Normalized steels are harder and stronger but less
ductile than annealed steels with the same composition.
(c) Reduces the grain size caused by over heating or by
slow cooling.
(d) Produces uniform granular structure.
(e) Improves the machineability of the steel.
(f) It prevents the cracking of High Carbon Steel, High
Speed Steel and High Tensile Steel, when these steels
are hardened.
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