Common Types of Heat Treatment and Their Purpose
Knowledge

Common Types of Heat Treatment and Their Purpose

In order to make metal workpieces have the required mechanical properties, physical properties and chemical properties, besides reasonable selection of materials and various forming processes, heat treatment processes are often essential. Heat treatment generally does not change the shape and overall chemical composition of the workpiece, but imparts or improves the performance of the workpiece by changing the microstructure inside the workpiece or changing the chemical composition on the surface of the workpiece. Its characteristic is to improve the internal quality of the workpiece, and its function is to improve the mechanical properties of the material, eliminate residual stress and improve the machinability of the metal.
Published: Dec 13, 2022
Common Types of Heat Treatment and Their Purpose

Heat treatment is to heat the metal material to a certain temperature, keep it warm for a certain period of time, and then cool it down to room temperature or lower at a certain rate, so as to improve the structure of the material and obtain a material with excellent performance. It generally refers to the treatment of metal materials, especially steel. Commonly used classification methods include normalizing, annealing, quenching, tempering and surface hardening.

The following introduces the types and purposes of eight common heat treatments:

  1. Normalizing
  2. Type:

    • Ordinary normalization
    • Two-stage normalization
    • Secondary normalization
    • Isothermal Normalization

    Purpose:

    • Eliminate the bad structure produced by processing, and normalize the steel, so as to facilitate the subsequent manufacturing process.
    • Make coarser grains finer and improve mechanical properties.

  3. Annealing
  4. Type:

    • Diffusion annealing
    • Fully annealed
    • Isothermal annealing
    • Low temperature annealing
    • Relaxation annealing
    • Spheroidizing annealing

    Purpose:

    • Diffusion and homogenization of alloy components.
    • Adjust the organization.
    • Soften to improve normal temperature workability and machinability.
    • Stress relief.
    • Carbide spheroidization to improve workability and mechanical properties.
    • Eliminate hydrogen embrittlement.

  5. Quenching
  6. Type:

    • Ordinary quenching
    • Time quenching (interrupted quenching)
    • Hemp Tempering (US)
    • Voss Temper

    Purpose:

    • Hardened, ie strengthened steel.

  7. Subzero Treatment
  8. Disadvantages of residual washer field iron:

    • Poor quenching hardness (insufficient, uneven)
    • Poor wear resistance
    • Quenching deformation is large
    • Dimensional stability becomes poor during use, or even damaged

    Purpose:

    • After quenching, the residual washer field iron is treated below 0 ℃ to transform it into moss field iron.

  9. Tempering
  10. Type:

    • Low temperature tempering
    • High temperature tempering

    Purpose:

    • Eliminate the stress of quenched Ma Tian loose iron
    • Organizational stabilization
    • Adjust mechanical properties (i.e. toughness)

  11. Induction Hardening
  12. Type:

    • High frequency induction hardening
    • Medium frequency induction hardening
    • Low frequency induction hardening

    Purpose:

    • Utilize the induction heating effect of high-frequency current, and then apply quenching hardening. Harden the surface of the steel and generate surface compressive stress, improving the fatigue resistance of the workpiece.

  13. Carburizing
  14. Type:

    • Solid carburizing
    • Liquid carburizing
    • Gas carburizing

    Purpose:

    • Improve surface hardness and wear resistance
    • Improve the fatigue resistance of the workpiece

  15. Nitriding
  16. Type:

    • Solid nitriding
    • Liquid nitriding
    • Gas nitriding
    • Ion Nitriding

    Purpose:

    • Improve surface hardness and wear resistance
    • Improve the corrosion resistance of the surface
    • Improve the heat resistance of the surface
    • Improve the fatigue resistance of the workpiece
Published by Dec 13, 2022 Source :SH SHUANG HO METAL

Further reading

You might also be interested in ...

Headline
Knowledge
How to Qualify Custom Worm Gears for Medical and Aerospace Systems: Testing, Traceability, and OEM Quality Controls
Help procurement teams and equipment manufacturers evaluate OEM worm gear suppliers using practical quality criteria, including inspection methods, test evidence, material controls, and traceability records.
Headline
Knowledge
Why High-Precision Manual Lathes Still Earn Their Place in CNC Machine Shops
The right machine is not always the most automated one, but the one that delivers the required part with the greatest speed, flexibility, and confidence.
Headline
Knowledge
How to Choose a Large 5 Axis Universal Machining Center: Match Automation Architecture to Your Real Production Bottleneck
Find the Real Production Bottleneck Before Choosing Automation
Headline
Knowledge
Full Automatic Dipping Machine vs. Automatic Loading and Unloading Machine: How to Choose the Right Automation Architecture
Choose automation based on where your line actually loses time, labor, and consistency, not simply on which machine has the most automated features.
Headline
Knowledge
Why Push-In Air Fittings Leak After Installation: Tube Preparation, Insertion Depth, and Side Load
How Tube Preparation, Incomplete Insertion, and Side Loading Affect Pneumatic Sealing Reliability
Headline
Knowledge
Lots of Production Data, but Decisions Are Still Too Slow? How Smart Manufacturing Can Break Down Information Silos
Learn how smart manufacturing helps manufacturers connect equipment, production, quality, and enterprise data to reduce information silos, improve visibility, and support faster operational decisions.
Headline
Knowledge
Equipment Keeps Failing Unexpectedly? How Smart Manufacturing Can Reduce Unplanned Downtime
Learn how smart manufacturing helps manufacturers use equipment data, condition monitoring, and predictive maintenance to detect abnormalities earlier, reduce unplanned downtime, and improve equipment reliability.
Headline
Knowledge
Product Quality Still Unstable? How Smart Manufacturing Can Reduce Process Variation and Quality Issues
Learn how smart manufacturing helps manufacturers connect process data, equipment conditions, and quality results to detect abnormalities earlier, reduce defects and rework, and improve overall quality consistency.
Headline
Knowledge
Why Isn’t Factory Productivity Improving? Which Processes Should Smart Manufacturing Target First?
Learn how smart manufacturing helps manufacturers identify equipment downtime, production bottlenecks, changeover losses, quality issues, and information gaps to improve production efficiency and make better use of existing resources.
Headline
Knowledge
Why Bottle Bundles Collapse in a Shrink Sleeve Wrapper: Pack Pattern, Film Tension and Tunnel Heat
Understanding how bottle alignment, film control, and heat distribution interact to determine bundle stability
Headline
Knowledge
Why Do Operational Differences Persist Even After Standardizing Production Processes?
Creating SOPs is only the first step. Learn how manufacturers can reduce operational variation through clearer standards, consistent training, shop floor verification, and continuous improvement.
Headline
Knowledge
What Is Construction Formwork? Types, Materials, Advantages, and How to Choose
Compare wooden, steel, plastic, and aluminum formwork to understand their advantages, limitations, costs, reusability, and suitable construction applications.
Agree