There are a lot of products today that are comprised of metal parts and components. And with a wide array of metal materials that can be processed to generate these parts and components, their existence in different industries truly makes them valuable for various applications.
One of the metal materials that are often used for producing parts and components is stainless steel. Generally, stainless steel has excellent resistance to corrosion and temperature. It also boasts high tensile strength, respectable durability, and ease of formability and maintenance. It even has an attractive appearance that makes it perfect for applications that prioritise looks and aesthetics. Stainless steel, ultimately, can be recycled. Most of these qualities are present in different types of stainless steel.
All About Martensitic Stainless Steels
Stainless steels can be grouped based on their crystalline structure. And one of the groups of stainless steel that is common today is martensitic stainless steel. Martensitic stainless steel is a specific type of stainless steel that is known for its durability, strength, and corrosionresistance. These qualities are present in this type of stainless steel since it is composed of chromium, carbon, and nickel. Some other elements of this type of steel are manganese, nickel, and molybdenum.
The main qualities of martensitic stainless steel allow it to be useful in a wide variety of applications. This type of stainless steel can even perform different industrial functions and withstand the surrounding elements. Some products that can be made from martensitic stainless steel are cutlery, cookware, surgical and dental instruments, industrial blades, turbines, vehicle stampings, and many more.
Treating Martensitic Stainless Steels
Given the overall composition of martensitic stainless steel, it can be easily processed by heat treatment. Usually, the martensitic stainless steel may undergo the process of hardening, which allows it to be heated first to high temperatures before letting it cool rapidly.
As for minimising stresses, the same material may be reheated at lower temperatures. Alternatively, the hardened martensitic stainless steel can be reheated at a slightly higher temperature to soften it and attain intermediate hardness levels. Annealing can also be done to this type of stainless steel, which is a process that subjects the alloy to below its critical temperature. Allowing the alloy to cool for a long time after being exposed to its above critical temperature is also possible through full annealing.
Different Heat Treatment Techniques
Age hardening, annealing, quenching, and tempering are few heat treatment methods that martensitic stainless steels can handle. After all, their atoms can achieve the needed hardness and strength once they are heated and rapidly cooled.
Age hardening is done by heating the martensitic stainless steel and allowing precipitates to form. Subsequently, the material is stored for a long time at a high temperature, allowing it to obtain increased strength. Annealing, as previously stated, is done by subjecting the alloy to below its critical temperature, ensuring that it can be easier to process. Heating, rapid cooling, and reheating are processes involved in quenching and tempering, which can make the martensitic stainless steel ductile.
To know more about heat treatment and martensitic stainless steel, just contact us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment.
Heat treatment is a process wherein metals are heated without reaching their molten phase and subsequently cooled to obtain the desired properties. Different types of ferrous and non-ferrous metals can undergo this process, maximising a wide array of heat treatment methods to produce the needed parts and products of various businesses and industries.
Many businesses have benefitted from heat treatment as the process and its associated methods can generally change the properties of metals. Some of them can increase the hardness of the metal, while others can make it soft. There are likewise heat treatment methods that can relieve stresses of the metal as well as alter their electrical and heat conductivity, making them useful for specific applications.
One vital part of heat treatment is stress relieving. It is done to diminish residual stresses in the metal structure, saving it from dimensional changes that may occur during its manufacturing or intended use.
A Quick Overview of Stress Relieving
Stress relieving, as the name implies, serves as the main way of saving metal workpieces from different effects of stress, which can be obtained from various heat treatment procedures. As a workpiece undergoes different heat treatment procedures, it can obtain different effects that are not truly great. Some of these effects are shape distortion, fractures, cracks, and many more. With stress relieving, these effects, alongside any dimensional changes to metal workpieces, are minimised.
This part of heat treatment is often done after rough machining. It must also be conducted before final finishing like polishing or grinding to ensure that the workpiece can still boast its desired properties.
Stress Relieving Working Principles
The temperature for the stress relieving part would normally range between 550 and 650°C for steel workpieces, 150 and 275°C for copper parts, and 250 and 500°C for brass products, with an average soaking time of around one to two hours. Once the soaking process is done, the workpieces will be consequently cooled down either in the furnace or in the air. The cooling process must be slow and gradual to prevent any instances of tensions that may be generated due to the differences in temperature between the workpieces and the surrounding.
Some metal types, however, might need to be placed in a furnace with protective gas during the stress relieving process to ensure that they will be protected from oxidation. Vacuum furnaces can also be used.
Common Benefits of Stress Relieving
The working principles of stress relieving can provide tons of benefits to various workpieces. For one, this specific process can minimise the stresses that a workpiece can obtain from other heat treatment methods, which would then lower its chances of obtaining cracks and deformation. Stress relieving can likewise allow a workpiece to be machined easier after undergoing heat treatment. The process can also protect the workpiece from volatile surrounding elements, protecting its surface and other properties.
To know more about stress relieving, just reach us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment. Our expertise allows us to suggest the most appropriate process for your heat treatment requirements.