Heat Treatment

Heat Treatment

Heat treatment is the process of heating and cooling metals, using specific predetermined methods to obtain desired properties.

Both ferrous as well as non-ferrous metals undergo heat treatment before putting them to use. Over time, a lot of different methods have been developed. Even today, metallurgists are constantly working to improve the outcomes and cost-efficiency of these processes.

For that they develop new schedules or cycles to produce a variety of grades. Each schedule refers to a different rate of heating, holding and cooling the metal. These methods, when followed meticulously, can produce metals of different standards with remarkably specific physical and chemical properties.

Heat treatment has many benefits, some of which are listed below.

There are various reasons for carrying out heat treatment. Some procedures make the metal soft, while others increase hardness. They may also affect the electrical and heat conductivity of these materials.

Some heat treatment methods relieve stresses induced in earlier cold working processes. Others develop desirable chemical properties to metals. Choosing the perfect method really comes down to the type of metal and the required properties.

In some cases, a metal part may go through several heat treatment procedures. For instance, some superalloys used in the aircraft manufacturing industry may undergo up to six different heat treating steps to optimise them for the application.

Tasks Related to Heat Treatment

the microstructure of alloys will change during heat treatment. Heating is carried out in line with a prescribed thermal profile.

 

An alloy may exist in one of three different states when heated. It may either be a mechanical mixture, a solid solution, or a combination of both.

A mechanical mixture is analogous to a concrete mixture where cement binds sand and gravel together. Sand and gravel are still visible as separate particles. With metal alloys, the mechanical mixture is held together by the base metal.

On the other hand, in a solid solution, all the components are mixed homogenously. This means that they cannot be identified individually even under a microscope.

Every state brings along different qualities. It is possible to change the state through heating according to the phase diagram. The cooling, though, determines the final outcome. It is possible for the alloy to end up in one of the three states, depending solely on the method.

Our Companies That Offer This Service

Asset_184x
About KCG
Important Links
Get In Touch