Over View

Of

Heat Treatment Processes

By
Madhubalan

Why Heat Treatment

Scope :1
To relieve the internal stresses due to
manufacturing processes such as
welding,casting ,forming etc
To homogenize the structure which is
dislocated due to cold forming &semi
hot ,Hot forgings
To aid machinability
To eliminate the nonconformities present
in microstructure such as banding

Why Heat Treatment

Scope :2

To Improve the mechanical properties

To impart the wear resistance
To increase the strength
To improve the toughness
To enhance the fatigue strength
To impart anti scuffing and anti seizure
properties
To improve the performance levels at elevated
temperatures of operation

Heat Treatment Processes

Stress Relieving
Annealing

Full Annealing
Process Annealing
Spheroidize Annealing
Iso Thermal annealing

Normalizing
Hardening &
Tempering
Martempering
Austempering

Case Hardening
Carburizing
Carbo nitriding
Induction Hardening
Gas Nitriding
Liquid Nitriding
Gas Nitrocarburising
Special processes like
Low pressure
carburising,
plasma Nitriding

Effect Of Cooling rate

STRESS RELIEVING HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE

Tem
p

600650C
Normal Air Cool

Heating

60-120
Mints

Time

Heated below the lower critical temperature,soaked and

cooled in air

Stress Relieving
Purpose: To Relieve the stresses developed during hot /cold
working due to work Hardening
To relive the stresses of castings developed due to
cooling from high temperature (thermal Cycling)

Applications:Welded Joints
Cold And Hot Working Dies after prolonged use
Cold formed parts
Castings

FULL ANNEALING HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE

Tem
p

880920C
Furnace Cooled to
500 C

Heating

60-120
Mints

Time

Heated above the upper critical temperature,soaked and

Furnace cooled at a specific Rate resulting in Ferrite
pearlite structure

Annealing
Purpose: To Soften the material by homogenising the
structure to aid further processing
To Improve Machinability
For Castings:To dissolve the carbides and achieve
uniform structure to aid machinability,to get
dimensional stability&to minimize dimensional
variation in further heat treatment processing
Applications: Forgings and bar stock of medium carbon & alloy
steels/Castings

SPHEROIDIZE ANNEALING HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE

Tem
p

Heating

680C

slow Cooled

8 -18Hrs

Time

Heating the parts to a temperature just

below the lower critical line Hold for a
prolonged time(8-18 Hrs) followed by fairly
slow cooling.

SPHEROIDIZE ANNEALING HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE

Tem
p

Heating

700750C

slow Cooled

8 -18Hrs

Time

Or cycle multiple times between

temperatures slightly above and slightly
below the 723 C Line, say for example
between 700 and 750 C and slow cool

Spheroidize Annealing
Purpose:
Spheroidization Annealing process used for high
carbon steels (Carbon > 0.6%) that will be
machined or cold formed subsequently
Object:To Improve Machinability
To Aid Cold Forming
To Achieve spheroidized Structure
Applications:High Carbon Steels (eg. Ball bearing Steel)
Medium and low carbon steels to achieve
max reduction in cold forming

Spheroidized Structure

Process Annealing
Process annealing is done by heating to a

temperature just below the lower critical line

I.e 700 C ,held long enough to allow
recrystallization of the ferrite phase, and then
cooled in still air.
The only change that occurs is the size, shape
and distribution of the grain structure.

Process Annealing
Purpose:
Process Annealing is used to treat workhardened parts.
Enables the parts to be soft enough to
undergo further cold working without
fracturing

Object:
To Aid Cold Forming (Drawing of Bars/Wire)
Application:
Intermediate Step During Multistage Cold
Drawing

ISO Thermal Annealing Process

Heat Treatment
Cycle

Heating to Temp 920-940C, Soak for: 120-150 Min, Fast

Cool to. 650C, Soaking: 4 Hrs,

Te
m
p Heating

920940C

Fast Cool to
650C
Air
Cool

120-150
mints

4 Hrs

Time

Iso Thermal Annealing

Purpose: Iso thermal Annealing

process used for Low carbon Alloy steels

which are Hot Forged
Object:To Improve Machinability
To remove Banding
To Achieve uniform Structure to get
dimensional stability during machining
to improve tool life of gear
hobbing/Broaching tools

NORMALISING HEAT TREATMENT CYCLE

Tem
p

880920C
Normal/controlled
Air Cool

Heating

60-120
Mints

Time

Heated above the upper critical temperature,soaked and

cooled in air

Normalising
Purpose:Homogenising the structure
To Relieve theThermal Stresses
To Improve the Machinability
To achieve uniform properties in further heat
treatment
To eliminate the carbides and increase the pearlite
percentage of defective castings

Applications:Hot & Warm Forgings/ Formed Parts,cut rods of

low carbon alloy steels,medium carbon
steels,castings

Direct Hardening
Object: To develop high Hardness and to increase the wear
life of parts such as spindles,Gears,Shafts,dies,tools
etc.
To develop required mechanical properties such as
Tensile Strength, Toughness, ductility &elasticity
etc
Applications: Forgings/Fasteners/Springs,etc.

Hardening Cycle
The material should be heated above its upper
critical point to the austenite range
Soaked for sufficient time based on the section
thickness which is usually on the basis of 1 hr/1
inch cross section of major Diameter.
Quenched in Air/Oil/Polymer/Water depending on
the chemical composition so as to form
martensite structure
The Hardening temperature depends on the
Chemical composition,carbon and alloying
elements content of the material

Conventional Quenching And

Tempering

Purpose of Tempering
As Quenched /Hardened condition is
hard,brittle,highly stressed and liable to develop
quench cracks,particularly tool steels,high alloyed
materials. The steel in as hardened condition is of
limited usefulness.
The objective of the tempering is
To reduce the brittleness in as hardened steel
To remove the internal strains caused by sudden
cooling in the quench process
To achieve the required final properties viz
Hardness & Microstructure

Tempering Cycle
The Tempering process involves heating to a
temperature below the lower critical
temperature ,soaking for a specified time and
cooling in air
The Tempering reduces the hardness and
strength and ductility increased
A required combination of strength,ductility and
toughness can be achieved by adopting suitable
tempering cycle
The tempering temperature for a particular
hardness depends on the carbon & alloy content.

Martempering

Object: To Minimize Distortion , to eliminate Crack During

Quenching,and to maintain high degree of dimensional Accuracy

Process:
Heat the components to Hardening Temperature & soak for the required
time.
Quench in molten salt bath or Hot Oil maintained at 10 oC above or below
the Martensite starting point
Adequately Soak to get temperature uniformity
Take out and cool in Air.

Application:Tools of intricate design and non uniform

cross section like High speed Steel cutters ,die
steels,High Alloy Tools and Dies.Also for case
hardening of Gears,shafts,Spline Shafts,cams made
out of low carbon alloy steels.

Martempering

Austempering
Object: To achieve Higher Toughness,Improved Impact Strength, Higher
endurance Limit and Ductility compared to hardening and tempering of same
condition of Hardness

Process:
Heat the components to Hardening Temperature & soak for the required
time.
Quench in molten salt bath kept at 10oC above the level of Martensite
transformation line
Adequately held to get transformation to Bainite Structure
Take out and cool in Air.

Application:Springs,clips of all shapes and

sizes,Hacksaw,Blades,spanners,wrenches,Needles,Pen
Nibs,Pen clips made out of Spring Steels,medium
carbon & alloy steels.

Austempering

Quenching
processes
Hardness obtained after quenching
depends on
The grade of steel used
Harden ability of the material
Hardening temperature and soak time
Quench media used

Types Quenching Media

Water Quenching
Oil Quenching
Hot oil Quench
Polymer Quench
Salt Quench
Gas Quench

Mechanism of Quenching
Vapor Phase:During quenching the liquid surrounding it
gets heated to boiling point and forms a vapor blanket
Boiling Phase:As the temperature of the job is reduced
further the media breaks the vapour blanket and cools
the job rapidly by producing a stream of bubbles
Liquid cooling phase:The boiling ceases and the
quenching liquid is in contact with all the parts of the
surface and cooling happens by convection .
This fulfils the condition that the cooling at high
temperature should be fast enough to avoid formation of
pearlite followed by slow cooling in the lower temperature
below 350 Degrees to prevent distortion and cracking

Water Quenching
Water is used for hardening Steels of Low Hardenability
such as plain carbon steels,Low alloy steels,Non ferrous
Metals,Stainless Steels.
Advantage of water is cheap,readily available,easy to
handle.
Very high cooling rate during vapour and Boiling stage
makes it suitable for low hardenability plain carbon steels
and mild steels after carburising.
Disadvantages:
longer duration of vapour stage leads to spot spots
The rate of cooling during third stage is very high leading
to distortion and crack
hence the application is restricted to simple and
symmetrical parts

Oil Quenching

Oil quenching is widely used

Gives uniform quenching
characteristics
Oils of high viscosity and volatility
provide fast quench
Used in different formulations to
suit a range of quenching
characteristics

Fast Quenching Oils

Fast quenching oils are blended

mineral oils.They contain specially
developed proprietary additions to
provide faster quenching effects

Conventional Quenching Oils:

These are Mineral oils with anti
oxidants but free from additives that
alter the quenching effect.

Hot quenching Oils:

These are solvent refined paraffin type
mineral oils.Provides uniform quenching
characteristics with stability during
continuous use at 100-200 oC.
Components of complex shapes,varying
sections and precision components are
quenched at 150-180oC to minimize
distortion.

Polymer Quenching
Polymer Quenchants are water base organic chemicals
known as Poly Alkaline Glycols
It dissolves in water at room temperature
Cooling rate of the Polymer Quenchant depends on the
percentage of glycol in water
Higher the concentration lower the rate of cooling
By varying the concentration the required quenching
characteristics can be achieved to suit the specific
requirements
Recommended working temperature is 35-50 oC
Eliminates washing before tempering as it does
not adhere to the surface and generate smoke on
heating

Carburising
Carburising is the Process of adding Carbon to
the surface of low carbon steel to the required
depth in order to get a
hard wear and fatigue resistant surface
superimposed on a tough low carbon core.
This is useful in parts such as a cams , gears
which should have a very hard surface to resist
wear, along with a tough interior to resist the
impact that occurs during operation.

Carburising Principles
This is done by exposing the part to a Carbon rich
atmosphere at an austenising temperature of 850
950 Degrees and allowing diffusion to transfer the
Carbon atoms into steel to a surface carbon level of
0.8 to 0.95%
After enriching the surface with carbon to the
desired depth ,the parts are hardened at the
austenising temperature of enriched surface to get a
hard surface..

Carburising Principles
The un altered core remains soft after quenching
for plain low carbon steels.
The increase in core strength can be achieved
with low carbon alloy steels where core hardness
to the level of 30 to 45 HRC is achieved after
quenching by converting to low carbon martensite
Normally low carbon & low carbon alloy steels
are carburise hardened.
In specific cases medium carbon&alloy steels are
also carburised to get higher surface hardness.

Carburising Methods
Pack carburising
Salt bath Technology or Liquid
Carburising
Gas Carburising
Vacuum or Low pressure carburising

Pack carburising
:

This process is the simplest and earliest

carburising process.
The process involves placing the components to
be treated in metal containers with the caburising
mixture, based on powdered charcoal and 10%
barium carbonate, packed around the
components.
The containers are then heated to a constant
temperature (850 oC to 950 oC)for a time period
to ensure an even temperature throughout and
sufficient to enable the carbon to diffuse into the
surface of the components to sufficient depth.

Limitations of Pack Carburising

It is difficult to control case depths of
less than 0,6mm
The normal case depths produced are
0.25mm to 6mm
Poor control of surface carbon content
and inability to produce close
tolerances of case depth are
disadvantages and is seldom used now
a days.

Liquid Carburising
This process is mostly used for producing
shallow case depths in thin sections.
The components are heated in a bath
containing a suitable mix of sodium
cyanide salts and sodium carbonate.
The normal case depths for this process
are about 0,25 to 0.5mm with bath
strengths of 20% to 30% NaCN. High bath
strengths 40% to 50% NaCN are required
for case depths of 0,5mm and above.

Liquid Carburising
The case resulting from this process includes carbon
and nitrogen.Which makes this process ideal for low
carbon sheet metal pressed and machined components.
This process normally works with bath temperatures of
800oC to 930oC for immersion times from 2 to 7 hours
depending on the depth required.
However the disposal problems in eliminating the solid
waste & wash water have made this process not
environmental friendly and is becoming obsolete.

Gas Carburising
Gas carburising is very popular and widely
used for case depths ranging from 0.2 mm
to 3 mm.
Possible to achieve narrow bands of case
depth requirements.
Good Repeatability of end results possible
Different Furnaces and atmospheres are
used to suit the end requirements of the
product and cost impact.

Elements of Gas Carburising

Process Cycle :combination of temperature &
Time

Atmosphere
Different types of atmospheres are used to provide
the carburising environment.
Pit Type Furnaces:
A drip feed system using an organic fluid
based on methyl , ethyl or isopropyl alcohol
+ benzene or equivalent is fed into the
carburising chamber at a controlled rate. In
this process there are generally internal fans
working to ensure and even gas pressure in
the chamber

Atmosphere
Sealed Quench & Continuous Furnaces:
A combination of Nitrogen,methanol & LPG are
used.Nitrogen is introduced from 600 oC,Methanol
from 680oC,& LPG is used for enrichment by auto
control to maintain the necessary carbon potential.
Endo Gas mixture:In this reactive gas ready for use
in the furnace is generated externally by passing
mixture of Lpg and air over a nickel catalyst
maintained at 1000-1200 oC in a pressure tight retort
which is heated externally.the output Gas coming out
is cooling it to 300 oC by passing through water
jacket.This output gas is used along with other
hydrocarbons to maintain the atmosphere required .

Atmosphere control Devices

Oxy probe:The oxygen probe is a direct method of measuring the
carbon potential of a furnace atmosphere. The probe is in direct
contact with the furnace atmosphere and is exposed to the furnace
temperature.
The probe is a closed end tube with an open 'window' to sample the
furnace atmosphere. There is an inner tube inside of the external
tube .The inner tube has a tip made of Zirconia where a platinum
wire is fixed.
Clean reference air is blown down the outside of the inner tube
where another platinum wire is attached . The oxygen ions from the
furnace atmosphere are passing through the zirconium tube and the
two platinum wires are measuring the Electro Motive Force (EMF) in
mill volts. The mill volt output is calibrated the be converted at the
control instrument to read Carbon Potential in percentage points.

Carbonitriding

Carbo nitriding is the variation of Carburising where

nitrogen is additionally introduced into the surface
along with carbon.
This achieved by passing Ammonia along with
regular gases up to 5% of the Total volume of
gases used for carburising
Ammonia breaks and gives necessary source of
Nitrogen
Carbonitriding is done at temperatures of 830-890
oC and is used for case depths ranging from
0.1 mm to 0.7 mm.

Carbonitriding

Advantage of carbo nitriding:

Addition of nitrogen in to the surface increases
the hardenability of case and hence low carbon sheet
metal and machined components respond well to
carbonitriding even with oil as quenching medium
This process is a good alternative to salt bath cyanide
hardening of low carbon materials.
Nitrogen lowers the austenite temperature by 50 oC
allowing process to be done at lower temperature for
the same case depth thereby reducing the distortion
Carbonitriding layer has temper resistant and can be
tempered at higher temperatures for the same hardness
of carburised layer by reducing brittleness

Jigging
Jigging

prewash
Loading
Processing
Prewas
Loading
Processing

quenching
Quenching

postWash
wash
Post

tempering
Tempering

h
Surface Finishing

Despatch

surface finishing Despatch

Pit Type Furnace

All processes can be done
No complicated jigging
Simple atmosphere
All varieties of jobs can be processed
Manual ,Open quench affecting
surface finish,low on safety levels

Continuous Mesh Belt Furnace

Process control automated
Scale free & bright Finish
Individually quenched &uniform
Microstructure & better quality
Ideal for Fasteners,tiny components
No Fixturing & less man power

Sealed Quench Furnace

Fully Automated quenching
Clean & Bright finish possible
Dedicated Fixtures used
Low Surface oxidation
Process Repeatability is Good
High Investment

Continuous Conveyer Furnaces

Ideal for bulk processing of similar
components like Gears
Process reliability through complete
process automation
Components are loaded in trays and
moved through conveyers

Induction Hardening

The basic components of an induction heating

system are an AC power supply, induction coil, and
work piece (material to be heated or treated).
The power supply sends alternating current through
the coil, generating a magnetic field in the work
piece which is placed inside the coil.
The magnetic field induces eddy currents in the
workpiece, generating precise amounts of clean,
localized heat without any physical contact between
the coil and the workpiece
After heating The work piece is quenched by passing
water/polymar jet as coil withdraws from the
stationary rotating job.

Applications for Induction Hardening

Induction hardening is primarily used for surface hardening of medium carbon
& alloy steels. The heating process does not affect the core structure. It is
possible to heat a material locally where it is functionally desired. Other sectors
of the material remain untreated and it is easy to machine them.
Induction hardening is in most cases more economical compared to other
heating processes. In some cases it is the only possible heat treatment
process.
Main advantages are:
Low distortion
Low risk of scaling (These two advantages may allow final machining before
hardening)
Localized hardening
Good reproducibility of hardening process
Easy integration in production line
Fully automatic process easily attainable
Easy to operate machines
Less harmful to the environment compared to other hardening processes
Use of unalloyed steels.

Nitriding

Nitriding is a surface-hardening heat treatment that

introduces nitrogen into the surface of steel at a temperature
range of 500 to 550C while it is in the ferrite condition.
Nitriding is similar to carburizing in that surface composition is
altered, but different in that nitrogen is added into ferrite
instead of austenite.
Because nitriding does not involve heating into the austenite
phase and a subsequent quench to form martensite, nitriding
can be accomplished with a minimum of distortion and with
excellent dimensional control.
Principal reasons for nitriding are:
To obtain high surface hardness
To increase wear resistance
To improve fatigue life
To improve corrosion resistance (except for stainless steels)
To obtain a surface that is resistant to the softening effect of
heat at temperatures up to the nitriding temperature

Gas Nitriding

Gas nitriding is done in pit type furnace whereby

nitrogen is introduced into the surface by holding the
metal at 495 and 565C in contact with a
nitrogenous gas, usually ammonia.
Single stage process:In the single-stage process, a
temperature in the range of about 495 to 525C is
used and the dissociation rate ranges from 15 to
30%. This process produces a brittle nitrogen-rich
layer known as the white nitride layer at the surface
of the nitrided case.This white layer is detrimental
for use as it is brittle and has poor fatigue resistance
.Hence normally it is ground and removed.
The process time ranges from 24 hrs to 48 hrs
without considering the heat up and cool down time
depending on the case depth

Gas Nitriding

The double-stage process, known also as the Floe

process, has the advantage of reducing the thickness of
the white nitrided layer.
The first stage of the double-stage process is done at
500-510 C for the first 15/20 hrs.
In the second stage the temperature is raised to 550 C
for the remaining period of the cycle depending on the
case depth
However the rate of dissociation in the second stage is
increased to 65 to 80% (preferably 75 to 80%).
Generally, an external ammonia dissociator is necessary
for obtaining the required higher second-stage
dissociation.
The principal purpose of double-stage nitriding is to
reduce the depth of the white layer produced on the
surface of the case and to reduce the cycle time.

Liquid Nitriding-Tufftriding/Melonite Process

Process:Liquid Bath (Na/K
Cyanate and
Carbonates)
Temperature -565C
Diffusion Of
Nitrogen/Carbon
Cooled In Salt Bath
(350-400C)
Compound Layer
(8-20 microns)
Hardness
(400-1200HV)

Sursulf Nitrocarburising Process is the same as Tufftriding

excepting that small amount of sulfur is added to the bath
resulting in creation of porous layer of 3 to 4 microns of iron
sulfides which gives anti scuffing & anti seizure properties

Advantages:Reduced Process Time & No distortion

Improves SlidingWear/Fatigue Properties
Enhanced Corrosion resistance up to 200 Hrs salt spray
with QPQ process.
All materials including mild steel ,cast iron ,& stainless
steel can be treated
Applications:Crank Shafts/Camshafts/Liners/Con
rods/Gears/Tools/CIvalve guides/Rocker levers and value
addition for components which are fully finished.

Ion/Plasma Nitriding
Initially known as glow-discharge
nitriding, the process is now generally
known as ion, or plasma, nitriding.
Ion nitriding is an extension of
conventional nitriding processes using
plasma-discharge physics.
In vacuum, high-voltage electrical energy
is used to form a plasma, through which
nitrogen ions are accelerated to impinge
on the workpiece.
This ion bombardment heats the
workpiece, cleans the surface, and
provides active nitrogen.

Ion/Plasma Nitriding

Advantages:
Metallurgically versatile, the process provides excellent
dimensional control and retention of surface finish.
Ion nitriding can be conducted at temperatures lower
than those conventionally employed.
Control of white-layer composition and thickness
enhances fatigue properties.
The span of ion-nitriding applications includes
conventional ammonia- gas nitriding, short-cycle
nitriding in salt bath or gas, and the nitriding of stainless
steels.
Ion nitriding lends itself to total process automation,
ensuring repetitive metallurgical results. The absence of
pollution and insignificant gas consumption are
important economic and public policy factors.
Selective nitriding accomplished by simple masking
techniques.

End