3 General Causes of Failure in Heat Treated Metal Components
06 May 2022Manufacturers of metal parts and components often turn to heat treatment due to the advantages its processes could bring to their overall operations.
Heat treatment, for one, can alter the physical properties of materials, matching the specifications needed for subsequent manufacturing activities. It can likewise relieve any stresses on the materials, making them easier to weld or machine. Heat treatment processes can also enhance the strength, electrical, and magnetic properties of materials. Ultimately, they can improve the brittleness of the workpieces, making them more workable in the long run.
Normally, manufacturers that conduct heat treatment processes can generate high-quality parts and components. There are times, however, when their heat-treated metal components fail remarkably. Here are some of the most common causes of failure in these products.
1. Design Deficiencies
Failure in heat-treated metal components can be possible if design flaws are present during their processing. Various situations and factors during the heat treatment processes can lead to design flaws and deficiencies. For instance, failures may be present if a component design has been utilised for a new application. Failures might likewise occur due to unanticipated service conditions and significantly high stresses among the workpieces. Design flaws can also be present if the manufacturer fails to come up with sufficient design criteria, possesses limited knowledge of a component’s stress state, and carries out heat treatment processes despite inadequate stress calculations.
2. Material Defects
Another potential cause of failure in heat-treated metal components lies in their materials themselves. Numerous components may have been crafted out of wrong or incompatible materials as the manufacturer proceeded with their heat treatment processes without gathering adequate material data. They may have likewise estimated the effects of heat treatment processes instead of acquiring adequate fatigue data, elevated-temperature tensile data, and creep or corrosion data. Other heat-treated metal components, alternatively, may have failed due to material imperfections. Some types of imperfections that may have been overlooked are cold shuts, shrinkage, voids, laps, and seams.
3. Processing Mistakes
Heat-treated metal components may have likewise failed due to processing and manufacturing mistakes. As mentioned earlier, heat treatment processes intend to relieve any stresses found in the materials. If the materials still attained significant residual stresses, they may have been subjected to wrong procedures and ambiguous processes. They may have also undergone improperly specified procedures. Even the improper sequencing of the processes can lead to the failure of heat-treated metal components. Without considering the specifications of the heat treatment processes that will be conducted, metal components may certainly fail once they have been processed.
These common causes of failure can be mitigated if a company has reputable experts in various heat treatment methods. Numerous factors and specifications must likewise be considered by the company first before proceeding with heat treatment. To attain quality heat-treated metal components for your application, you can contact us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment.
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