Archive: 2018

In this heat treatment technique, a counterintuitive reaction is seemingly encountered as a metal workpiece is heated and held at a predetermined furnace temperature. Remarkably, instead of hardening the alloy, the procedure softens the part and makes it more ductile. That thought goes against the grain. Well, it seems to, but this is the intended […]

A problem-solving guide for black oxide coatings, that’s the direction this article is taking. The finish should be oily black. Putting a tick in that checkbox, the coating should also be moderately corrosion resistant. Only, the inspector’s pen is wavering. There’s an issue with the ebony-hued conversion coating. Spotting problems are apparent, as are strange […]

There’s no end to the number of metals out there, all of which serve different roles in countless applications. Selecting the materials, it’s up to a metallurgically talented sourcing expert to choose the material classifications that satisfy a customer’s demands. Heat treatment technology then further processes the metal so that it has all of the […]

Sintered components are produced when fine metallic powders are compacted inside special cavities. As high pressures cause densification, heat is added. Therefore, as a process precursor, this operation employs a finite amount of heat treatment toughening right at the end of the product forming procedure. However, if the tightly packed, materially diffused particles still don’t […]

A newly arrived batch of mild steel indicates this is a low carbon steel. The carbon quotient is noted, then the load is transported onwards. Putting this scenario on pause for a minute or two, we ask the following question: can low carbon steels be heat treated? Still frozen in time, the engineers ponder a […]

Undergoing heat treatment, a steel workpiece warms until it’s almost red-hot. Engineers monitor the process, compare the actions taking place in the furnace to specially formulated graphs, and the metal exhibits a hardenability-biased phase change. The newly transformed martensite is ultra-hard, and that microcrystalline state is validated by the quench operation and tempering work. Just […]

Here’s a case study where a steel workpiece was hardened in a cutting-edge furnace. The process is locked in, and it has been exhaustively tested, so the repeatability factor is indisputable. The internal structure of the alloy workpiece has transformed. It’s mechanically harder, more durable and rigid than before the heat treatment action. However, at […]

Heat treated metals are undeniably hard and rigid. Still, their dimensional parameters can and often do change when their microcrystalline matrices are exposed to massive quantities of thermal energy. The crystal structure, tortured by thermal stresses, starts to distort. The alloy piece is warping. Then, quenched in oil or water, it deforms again. To prevent […]

Transforming metal workpieces with intense levels of thermal energy, heat treatment processing manipulates microstructure compositions until a desired mechanical or physical property is achieved. However, even the finest operation can go astray. A defect forms, it’s held over as the part cools, and the requisite heat toughening parameters are not realised. To stop such occurrences […]

Modern alloys are among the toughest materials known to man. A selected alloy, perhaps destined to become a key part in a massive construction project, can handle massive loads, yet still flex ever so slightly when a stiff breeze blow. However, despite being remarkably durable, even the hardest alloys become fatigued. Time is a primary […]