Blog

Stress Relieving with Bogie Hearth Furnaces: Material Stabilisation by Alpha Detroit

17 October 2023

stress relieving

Unlock precise stress relieving and material stabilisation with bogie hearth furnaces from Alpha Detroit. Elevate your projects today. Call (03) 9555 3682.

Metal parts and components can undergo internal stresses during manufacturing, which can lead to distortion, warping, and failure under load over time. To address these challenges and enhance the mechanical properties of metal materials, they must be subjected to stress relieving with Bogie Hearth Furnaces. Through these elements, the stability and integrity of metal components can be assured to attain their needed quality and safety.

Understanding Stress Relieving

Stress relieving is a heat treatment process that involves heating metal components to a specific temperature and holding them at that temperature for a certain duration, followed by controlled cooling. The primary objective of stress relieving is to reduce or eliminate the internal stresses that may accumulate in metal parts during casting, welding, machining, cold working, and other manufacturing processes.

During stress relieving, metal components are subjected to a temperature below the lower critical point, which is generally between 550°C to 650°C for most steels. They are then held at that temperature for a specific period, depending on the material type and thickness. The dwell time at the holding temperature allows the internal stresses to relax and redistribute, which promotes dimensional stability and reduces the risk of distortion after heat treatment.

Utilising Bogie Hearth Furnaces

Bogie Hearth Furnaces are specially designed heat treatment equipment that can give a stable and uniform environment for stress relieving processes. They feature a movable bogie or platform that carries the workload into the heating chamber, ensuring even heat distribution and controlled cooling rates. Their versatility allows for stress relieving a wide range of metal components, from small precision parts to large fabrications used in heavy industries.

Key Benefits of Stress Relieving

Stress relieving with Bogie Hearth Furnaces can provide a wide range of benefits. Some of its benefits include the following.

• Improved Dimensional Stability: Stress relieving with Bogie Hearth Furnaces can stabilise metal components and prevent dimensional changes caused by internal stresses, ensuring parts retain their shape and meet design specifications.

• Enhanced Mechanical Properties: By reducing internal stresses, stress relieving improves the mechanical properties of metals. Some mechanical properties that metals may acquire include increased toughness, ductility, and resistance to fatigue failure.

• Residual Stress Reduction: Stress relieving can mitigate residual stresses, preventing metal components from potential failures.

• Simplified Machinability: Stress-relieved materials are easier to machine due to reduced hardness and improved ductility. This quality can help them attain higher machining efficiency and improved surface finish.

• Improved Weld Integrity: Stress relieving post-welding improves the integrity of welded joints, which reduces the risk of cracking and improves overall weld quality.

• Minimised Distortion: Stress relieving with Bogie Hearth Furnaces can minimise distortion in metal components, allowing manufacturers to achieve consistent product quality.

Applications of Stress Relieving

Stress relieving with Bogie Hearth Furnaces finds applications in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, oil and gas, power generation, and general engineering. It can be widely used for welded structures, castings, forgings, and machined components to ensure the long-term reliability and performance of critical parts.

Optimized by: Netwizard SEO