Heat treatment involves the controlled application of heat to change the physical (and sometimes chemical) properties of metals. Although heat treatment is not part of the metal heat treatment process, keep in mind that heat treated metals change size. Before exploring the unexpected negative effects on the size of metal parts, let's discuss some of the benefits of heat treatment and annealing.
There are many important reasons for heat treatment. Depending on the method used, heat treatment of the metal can result in the material becoming harder or softer, more or less brittle, or stronger or weaker. Based on the desired results, one method may involve using a variety of treatment methods, changing the temperature of the treated material, changing the length of time the heat is applied, and controlling the cooling time of the material. The way of applying and removing heat will affect the yield strength and hardness of the product.
For example, stainless steel is usually heat treated to improve its hardness. The downside is that it can also become more brittle. On the contrary, the stainless steel can be heat treated to increase its ductility, which helps to reduce cracks and improve machinability to a greater extent. However, the process also reduces the hardness of the steel. Therefore, in order to obtain stainless steel with the required characteristics (such as high tensile strength but relatively low brittleness), it may be necessary to conduct multiple treatments at different temperatures and different time lengths.
On 2018-08-08 11:45:46
