Metals already boast tons of properties that make them beneficial for manufacturers. Some of their properties include excellent ductility, good conductivity of heat and electricity, and high tensile strength. They are likewise hard, lustrous, and resistant to elements.
But to further improve the strength, malleability, ductility, and abrasion resistance of metals, they can undergo a wide array of heat treatment processes. Heat treatment is conducted by heating the metal workpieces before reaching their molten phase. They are then cooled in a controlled way, making sure that they acquire the needed mechanical properties.
Two heat treatment processes that metal workpieces can undergo are flame hardening and induction hardening. Understanding their differences can help business owners like you know the best heat treatment process for your metal workpieces.
Flame Hardening
Flame hardening is a surface hardening method wherein metal workpieces are exposed to a high-temperature flame before quenching them. Some metal workpieces that can undergo this surface hardening method are alloy steels, mild steels, cast iron, and medium carbon steels.
When carrying out flame hardening, the operator must utilise direct heat from oxy-gas flames to heat the metals until they reach their austenitizing temperature. Once this temperature has been reached, the surface of the materials will change while their core remains unchanged. The process of quenching must then be carried out upon reaching their austenitizing temperature, providing them with a harder surface that is more resistant to corrosion and wear.
Remember, however, that the result of flame hardening will be determined by the flame temperature, heating duration and speed, quenching temperature, and elemental composition of the metal workpieces.
Induction Hardening
Induction hardening, on the other hand, is a surface hardening method that places metal workpieces inside a copper coil to heat them within or above their transformation temperature. The coil is utilised to generate an alternating current, inducing an alternating magnetic field to the workpieces to effectively heat their surfaces. After heating their surfaces, they are quenched to attain the needed alterations.
Some metal workpieces that can undergo induction hardening are carbon steels, alloy steels, stainless steels, cast iron, and ductile iron. Somehow similar to flame hardening, induction hardening can also enhance the surface of workpieces by increasing their wear resistance, surface hardness, and fatigue life. It does not likewise affect their core microstructure.
The output of induction hardening may depend on power level, dwell time, and other process variables. It can also be affected by the elemental composition of the metal workpieces.
Primary Differences
One key difference between flame hardening and induction hardening is that the latter does not operate in an open flame. Induction hardening only heats materials through a coil, making it more precise. It does not likewise generate scaling, decarburisation, and overheating damage. Flame hardening, however, can still be utilised in processing irregular workpieces. It also has lower equipment and maintenance costs than induction hardening.
To know more about these heat treatment processes, you can call us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment.
Manufacturers 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.
Reference:
Tons of finishing and coating options can be applied to metal parts and products so they can attain more unique qualities. Some of these options may grant these things a matte surface, while others can become glossy. The colour of the parts and products may likewise be changed by different coating processes.
While industries enjoy the visual enhancements provided by most finishing and coating processes, they mostly apply them to make their parts more durable and more reliable. Through the right finishing process, their offerings can achieve better corrosion resistance. They can also boast added endurance against other damaging elements in the surroundings.
One coating process that can be done to metal parts and products is black oxide coating. The black oxide coating is carried out by dipping parts in an alkaline aqueous salt solution to introduce magnetite into their surface. This specific coating process can provide numerous advantages to a lot of industries.
Stealthy Look
One of the advantages of black oxide coating is that it gives off a stealthy look to the materials. The coating process can give off a dark black colour to the parts and products without any patina or rainbow effect. If these things, however, already boast shiny or matter surfaces before the black oxide coating process, then expect them to retain their default surfaces unless an additional finish will be applied.
Retained Dimensions
Another advantage of black oxide coating is that it can retain the dimensions of the parts being processed. Since black oxide coating only alters the surface property of the parts, manufacturers can ensure that their parts and products will be free from additional dimensional changes. They will not find any deposited or removed surfaces or areas to their newly coated parts and products.
Additional Resistance
Black oxide coating does not only improve the appearance of parts and products but can also improve their longevity. The elements generated out of the black oxide coating and its accompanying after finishes can provide parts and products with their much-needed resistance to corrosion and abrasion. Manufacturers can expect their parts and products to be more durable and last for a long time.
Improved Lubricity
Some parts and products have to be lubricated for them to be effective and functional. Fortunately, black oxide coating can make sure that these materials can attain improved lubricity. This process can also introduce better anti-galling characteristics to the parts and products due to the application of after-finish elements like oil or wax.
Reduced Reflection
Somehow related to their stealthy look, parts and products that have undergone black oxide coating can be less distracting as they have reduced reflection. As light hits some metal products, they tend to emit light glare that can be too distracting. Sometimes, they can even cause eye fatigue. Black oxide coating, luckily, alters the appeal of the products and makes them less distracting.
The advantages of black oxide coating make it useful for processing surgical instruments, hardware tools, electrical components, automotive parts, and even military weapons. To know more about black oxide coating, do not hesitate to call us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment.
Heat treatment is comprised of various processes that can change the physical and/or chemical properties of a material. Often used for metals, heat treatment has helped ensure that the materials can become more suitable for a specific application.
We, at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment, have been in the industry of heat treatment for decades. By employing the best experts in the field, we can provide a wide range of specialty heat treatment services for complex engineering projects. Our company can likewise offer manufacturing services that can benefit all industries in Australia and New Zealand.
Our innovative processes and experience have granted us the opportunity to work with small run and unique projects. We even offer regular and repeat specialised heat treatment services to our customers. Some of the services that we offer are as follows.
Case Hardening
Case hardening is a process that modifies the chemical properties of a material. This service is done whenever a part needs to boast a durable surface and a softer core. It can also be done whenever additional elements must be integrated into the material. Once a part undergoes this process, it can effectively absorb shock and boast added strength. Case hardening can be applied to materials intended for generating blades, cutting tools, and gears.
Induction Hardening
Induction hardening is another process that we can carry out in our workshop. One thing that is unique about this process is that it can be applied selectively to a material. This process can be conducted through magnetic coils, which help in matching the geometry of the part and addressing areas that need additional ductility and strength. This process can be done with oil, polymer, or water.
Annealing
Annealing happens whenever a material is subjected to an extremely high temperature before cooling it slowly. This service can be performed whenever metal alloys have been softened. As they undergo annealing, their machinability is enhanced, allowing them to be processed again through grinding, quenching, and machining. The annealing process can likewise improve the hardness and chemical properties of the materials.
Tempering
Tempering is a process that is often conducted after quenching. This process aims to reduce the hardness of the materials, increase their ductility, and maintain their microstructure effectively. With tempering, the materials can overcome machining difficulties and create parts that will not fail easily. Parts that fail might have not undergone tempering or have not been quenched properly.
Stress Relieving
One more process that we can perform to materials is stress relieving. Stress relieving is a process that can remove internal dislocations and defects of the materials. As these flaws are removed, the materials are expected to be much more stable. This process is carried out to avoid changing the hardness and strength of the materials.
Our team of experts can conduct these processes without any issues. To acquire our services, you can contact us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment.
Numerous materials are being processed every day so that various machines and products will be generated. One of the materials that are often used by manufacturers is metal.
What is great about metals is they can be processed easily. And as more elements are integrated into metals, they can easily resist heat, moisture, corrosion, and other damaging elements. However, there are instances where the metal workpieces will boast areas that are restricted from expanding, contracting, and releasing elastic strains. These restrictions occur whenever residual stresses are present.
Residual stresses are stresses that may remain in a metal workpiece despite the lack of external loading or thermal gradients. A metal with residual stresses is known to be stressed way past its elastic limit. The presence of residual stresses in metals often leads to warping, distortion, fracture, and fatigue.
Primary Causes of Residual Stresses
To date, there are three primary causes of residual stresses.
Mitigating Residual Stresses in Metals
Manufacturers can mitigate residual stresses in metal workpieces by controlling the type and magnitude of residual stresses. Controlling them can be done through stress relief heat treatment, mechanical treatment, regulating heat treatment processes, and alloy selection. Residual stresses can also be mitigated by utilising reduced cooling rates, choosing alloys with slow cooling rates, and maximising post-weld heat treatments. Once these things are done, cracks and deformation on metals can be avoided.
To know more about residual stresses in metals, you can call us at Alpha Detroit Heat Treatment.