What Is Heat Treatment?

written by: johnsinit edited by: Lamar Stonecypher updated: 1/8/2011

Engineering properties are modified by heat treatment processes so that structural components are able withstand
specified operating conditions and have desired useful life.

Heat treatment is the heating and cooling of metals to change their physical and

mechanical properties, without letting it change its

shape. Heat treatment could be said
to be a method for strengthening materials but could also be used to alter some mechanical properties such as
improving formability, machining, etc. The most common application is metallurgical but heat treatment can also be
used in manufacture of glass, aluminum, steel and many more materials. The process of heat treatment involves
the use of heating or cooling, usually to extreme temperatures to achieve the wanted result. It is very important
manufacturing processes that can not only help manufacturing process but can also improve product, its
performance, and its characteristics in many ways.

Heat Treatment Processes

Hardening
Hardening involves heating of steel, keeping it at an appropriate temperature until all pearlite is transformed into
austenite, and then quenching it rapidly in water or oil. The temperature at which austentizing rapidly takes place
depends upon the carbon content in the steel used. The heating time should be increased ensuring that the core will
also be fully transformed into austenite. The microstructure of a hardened steel part is ferrite, martensite, or
cementite.
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.
Annealing
Annealing involves treating steel up to a high temperature, and then cooling it very slowly to room temperature, so
that the resulting microstructure will possess high ductility and toughness, but low hardness. Annealing is performed
by heating a component to the appropriate temperature, soaking it at that temperature, and then shutting off the
furnace while the piece is in it. Steel is annealed before being processed by cold forming, to reduce the requirements
of load and energy, and to enable the metal to undergo large strains without failure.
Normalizing
Normalizing involves heating steel, and then keeping it at that temperature for a period of time, and then cooling it in
air. The resulting microstructure is a mixture of ferrite and cementite which has a higher strength and hardness, but

lower ductility. Normalizing is performed on structures and structural components that will be subjected to machining,
because it improves the machinability of carbon steels.
Carburization
It is a heat treatment process in which steel or iron is heated to a temperature, below the melting point, in the

presence of a liquid,
solid, or gaseous material which decomposes so as to release
carbon when heated to the temperature used. The outer case or surface will have higher carbon content than the
primary material. When the steel or iron is rapidly cooled by quenching, the higher carbon content on the outer
surface becomes hard, while the core remains tough and soft.
Surface Hardening
In many engineering applications, it is necessary to have the surface of the component hard enough to resist wear
and erosion, while maintaining ductility and toughness, to withstand impact and shock loading. This can be achieved
by local austentitizing and quenching, and diffusion of hardening elements like carbon or nitrogen into the surface.
Processes involved for this purpose are known as flame hardening, induction hardening, nitriding and carbonitriding.

References
Answers.com: Carburizing
Absolute Astronomy: Carburization
Image Credits:
JFE Steel Corporation: Development of HITEN Ultra-High Steel Plate with Resistance to Delayed Fracture
Jack Kendrick: Melonite Surface Treatment for Barrels, Bolts, and Actions

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