- 15 June 2022 / 09:37
What is Heat Treatment? What is it for?
Heat treatment is a series of heating and cooling processes by applying a certain temperature to change the properties and chemical structure of a material in order to make it suitable for the process in which it will be used. In terms of heat treatment properties, it can be divided into two classes: annealing and hardening. The properties of steel materials are given depending on the carbon and alloy ratios they contain and the area of use of the material. These features; Removing internal tensions that occur after the steel material is obtained, Hardening and softening, High strength, Machinability, Adapting to the environment in which it will be used, Not being affected by chemical events, Giving electrical and magnetic properties.
The heat treatment that reduces the hardness of a material by changing its physical and chemical properties and makes it more machinable is called annealing. It involves heating a material above its recrystallization temperature, maintaining the appropriate temperature for a period of time, and then cooling. Metals require annealing after shaping applications (such as rolling, forging and cold forming).
The hardness of unheat-treated materials must be softened so that they can be easily processed. Reducing hardness is important, especially for deformation processes such as plastics. For this reason, softening annealing is applied to the materials to soften them.
High voltages may occur within the material in cases such as overheating or cooling of the material, welding, etc. For this reason, stress relief annealing is performed to eliminate the brittleness of the parts and reduce internal stresses.
It is carried out in order to bring the properties of the material that hardens during cold forming to the initial level. With this method, the material is recrystallized in solid state without deterioration and the hardness that occurs during cold forming is eliminated.
Coarse-grained textures are formed as a result of forged, rolled and welded parts being affected by high temperatures. For this reason, it is the method used to return fine-grained texture materials to their original state.
Hardening is the annealing of materials to predetermined hardening temperatures, then cooling and making the hard tissue suitable for use. During the hardening process, the material is required to have the highest possible hardness and high strength.
Heat treatment is carried out in a controlled manner in vacuum furnaces. The parts inside the oven are kept under control with charging thermocouples at every stage of the process. Bright clean surfaces are obtained on parts processed in vacuum furnaces. https://www.aht.com.tr/