Heat Treatment

Full anneals are time and energy consuming processes

Martensite
 If excess carbon becomes trapped in the
microstructure, it becomes a distorted BCT
structure.
 This new structure is known as martensite.
 The hardness and strength of steel with
martensitic structure are strong functions
of the carbon content.
 The amount of martensite that forms is not
a function of time, but the temperature
during quenching.
Tempering of Martensite
• Initially after it has been quenched, martensite
lacks the toughness and ductility for engineering Figure: Effect of carbon
applications. on the hardness of
martensite.
• Tempering is a subsequent heating to give the
steel necessary ductility and fracture toughness
Tempering of Martensite

Difference between Hardness & Hardenability

Jominy Test for Hardenability
 material + cooling rate→structure→properties
 The Jominy end quench test is used to measure the hardenability of a steel, which is a
measure of the capacity of the steel to harden in depth under a given set of conditions
 A heated material is quenched from one end
Standards for Jominy end-quence hardenability test
 Quench medium (water at 75°F)
 Internal nozzle diameter (½ in.) Figure: Schematic
 Water pressure Rate of water flow (that producing a 2½ in. vertical fountain) diagram of the
Jominy
 Gap between nozzle and specimen (½ in.)
hardenability test.
 All cooling is along the axis of the bar
 After the bar is cooled, Rockwell hardness readings are taken
(i.e. strength)

Figure: Typical hardness

distribution along a Jominy test
specimen.
Surface Hardening
 Thermochemical treatments applied to steels in which the composition of
the part surface is altered by adding various elements often called case
hardening
 Most common treatments are carburizing, nitriding, and carbonitriding
 Commonly applied to low carbon steel parts to achieve a hard, wear-
resistant outer shell while retaining a tough inner core
 Carburizing: Heating a part of low carbon steel in a carbon-rich
environment so that C is diffused into surface
 In effect the surface is converted to a high carbon steel, capable of higher
hardness than the low-C core
 Carburizing followed by quenching produces a case hardness of around
HRC=60
 ◦Internal regions are low-C steel, with low hardenability, so it is unaffected
by quench and remains relatively tough and ductile
 Most common surface hardening treatment
Nitriding: Treatment in which nitrogen is diffused into surface
of special alloy steels to produce a thin hard casing without
quenching
 Carried out at around 500°C (950°F)

 To be most effective, steel must have alloying ingredients

such as aluminum or chromium to form nitride compounds
that precipitate as very fine particles in the casing to harden
the steel
 Hardness up to HRC70

Chromizing: Requires higher temperatures and longer

treatment times than the preceding hardening treatments
 Usually applied to low carbon steels

 Casing is not only hard and wear resistant; it is also heat and
corrosion resistant