A lot of processes can be maximised to generate metal products. Some processes are intended to change the properties of the metal products, while others are meant to alter their surfaces. There are even processes that add an adequate protective coating to the metal products.
One process that can be done to metal products is flame hardening. The flame hardening process is generally designed to harden a metal product while making it more malleable.
The Whole Process of Flame Hardening
Basically, the process of flame hardening involves the heating of a metal’s surface area very quickly through a high-temperature flame. The high-temperature flame typically comes from the combustion of a fuel gas with air or oxygen. Once the heating process is done, the involved metal workpiece is quenched or cooled in water or oil. The cooling process hardens the metal surface while maintaining the soft state of the core, making the metal product malleable and workable.
Throughout the flame hardening process, the metal workpiece can gain no change in composition. Hence, it must contain ample carbon content so that its intended surface hardness can be achieved. The depth of the hardened surface area hugely depends on the flame head design, heating duration, hardenability of the steel, quenching medium, and the quenching method itself.
Flame Hardening Notable Advantages
The process of flame hardening is carried out by industries due to its associated advantages.
One of the advantages of flame hardening is that it can provide localised hardening effects to the metal workpieces. The process can likewise provide controllable hardening depth. These advantages can make the surface of metal products hard and wear-resistant, with significant improvements over their fatigue strength. Another advantage of flame hardening is that it can minimise heat treatment distortion, making the metal products more resistant to surrounding elements.
As for the flame hardening itself, some advantages that the industries can obtain from the said process include minimised operational costs, decreased processing steps, and reduced processing time.
Remarkable Uses of Flame Hardening
Flame hardening can be used for low, medium, and high carbon steel. The results of the process with low and medium carbon steel products, however, would depend on their required surface hardness and core qualities. High carbon steel products, alternatively, can be processed if careful control is carried out. Other materials that can be processed with flame hardening are cast ironsand alloy steels.
Aside from their compatibility with certain types of metals, flame hardening can be applied to very large parts. It can likewise be maximised in processing workpieces that require heat treatment on small areas. If certain industries want to obtain metal parts with various shapes, then flame hardening can also be conducted to meet their requirements.
Some products that can maximise flame hardening are rolls, shafts, sheaves, rope drums, slew rings, dies, moulds, gears, sprockets, machine ways, and rails.
If you want to know more about flame hardening, you can contact us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment.
Depending on the needs of specific industries, metal materials can be processed in a lot of ways. One of the processes that can be applied to metal materials is induction hardening.
Induction hardening is the process of hardening the surface of metal materials. During this process, a metal workpiece is typically placed inside a copper coil, which carries a substantial level of alternating current. The alternating current can then generate heat at and near the surface of the workpiece. The temperate of this process often goes above the transformation temperature of the workpiece. After the heating process, the metal workpiece will then be quenched, changing its structure effectively.
Benefits of Induction Hardening
Through the process of induction hardening, metal workpieces are expected to obtain some benefits.
One of the benefits of induction hardening is that it can increase the wear resistance of metal products. With increased wear resistance, metal products are expected to last for a long time, despite using them at various applications. Another benefit of induction hardening is that it can increase the fatigue strength of the materials. The residual compressive stress that is generated by the process allows workpieces to have a hardened structure near their surface, protecting the core from possible damages and issues.
Aside from increased wear resistance and fatigue strength, induction hardening can also grant workpieces the chance to have an adjusted hardness level after conducting the said process. Lowering the hardness of the materials while decreasing their brittleness is possible through tempering.
One more benefit of induction hardening is that it allows industries to utilise low-cost steel materials. These materials are often machinable due to their minimal carbon content. They likewise have a low risk of cracking and other negative effects. These features make the process cheaper compared to others.
Induction Hardening Applications
Given the benefits of induction hardening, it can truly generate excellent products out of various metal materials. It can even be used to enhance the mechanical properties of various ferrous components, making the process very useful for repairing field failures or warranty claims. It can likewise generate a lot of products since it does not require holding time.
Some of the materials that can be used for induction hardening include alloy steel, carbon steel, powder metal, cast iron, and martensitic stainless steel. Some products that can be created out of induction hardening are gears, axles, shafts, cam lobes, stampings, and spindles.
To know more about induction hardening, feel free to call us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment. We provide a wide range of services as well as suggest the most appropriate process for all your heat treatment requirements. We pride ourselves on providing quality service and reliability.