The nitriding process is perhaps one of the most misunderstood thermo-chemical surface treatment processes that are practiced today. So the process is not as old as, for example carburising. However,...
The process of forming black iron oxide to ferrous metals and other types of materials is often called black oxide. The black oxide process is a chemical conversion coating for...
Case hardening is a process of reinforcing the surface of some types of soft metal, making them more durable and tough. This process forms a thin layer of durable metal...
A heat treatment does far more than just change the physical appearance of metals. It also can modify the properties of them to reach the intended goal. This type of...
Various properties of metals experience change when they go through a heat treatment. Some changes make the metals more resilient or resistant while others allow them to be reshaped. Even...
Black oxide is a conversion coating that is suitable for ferrous metals along with copper-based alloys, copper, zinc, stainless steel, silver solder and powdered metals. It accomplishes this through a...
The process of induction hardening is for the purpose of hardening the surface of components made from steel or other carbon-alloy metals. Components or parts include a wide assortment of...
Ferrous metals, those that are rich in iron (Fe), often require normalizing. Why should this be the case? Is the grain size really that inconsistent and material-coarse after an iron...
A second heat treatment effector exists in an industrial furnace, one that’s sometimes forgotten by the average layperson. Besides the heat source, the gas-fuelled or electrically energized thermal energy flowing...
As a rule, the inner workings of a vacuum furnace are ordinarily composed of a series of sealed firebox chambers. At the centre of this airtight assemblage, a leakproof furnace...
Metals harden when they’re heated, or they become more ductile when they’re heated then cooled at a specific rate. Interestingly enough, metal workpieces change in other ways when cooking in...
Red Hardness, the terminology paints quite a picture. After a steel workpiece slides into a furnace, it soaks up so much thermal that it becomes “red hot.” Alloy microstructures alter...
Once upon a time, blacksmiths heat-treated swords and armour. The job came to an end as the object sizzled in a barrel of water. That action toughened the metal. Just...
Engine connecting rods will be used to illustrate today’s issue. Utilized as key motion imparting components, these rigid steel connectors move in long, linearly oriented strokes. From piston to crankshaft,...
Much though engineers wish the opposite were true, heat treatment work can weaken welded joints. Since welding equipment uses thermal energy to fuse parts together and add filer metals, the...
Just as a reminder, induction hardening technology is used to enhance the toughness and fatigue resistance of carbon steel parts. Components to be heat treated are placed inside a furnace,...
Three primary heat treatment phases break down into multiple branches and subsets. First comes the heating, the stage that thermally alters a part’s microcrystalline structure. As the work comes to...
Not every processing pipeline in a heat treatment facility is mechanically oriented. Away from the vacuum-sealed furnaces and quenching tanks, the alloy hardening work is viewed from a different perspective....
Using gaseous quenching mediums, new and improved cooling models are rippling through the heat treatment sector. However, not just any old cloud of gas is going to suit this role....
Thin-walled tube metals are employed in a wide number of large-scale applications. Whether the tubes find their way into pipe networks or aerospace frames, they need to exhibit one key...
Ideally, heat treatment work affects the microcrystalline structure of a steel part. In the furnace, then cooled gradually or quenched suddenly, the physical properties of the steel alters. The processed...
The next two heat treatment processes are similar. They both use a nitrogen-rich substance to harden soft metal workpieces. But, as the post title implies, the nitrogen arrives in two...
Atmospheric control is a powerful tool in a heat treatment engineer’s metal hardening armoury. For example, by adding gaseous nitrogen to a furnace, the gas nitride hardening effect is initiated....
Carbon isn’t a metal. Actually, it’s a sooty black substance, and it’s not that strong. However, appearances can be deceiving, as every engineer knows only too well. Crushed by incredible...