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
Cold Chain vs Shelf-Stable Tapioca Pearls: Export Logistics Considerations
Evaluating shelf-stable dry pearls versus cold chain frozen formats to optimize international bubble tea supply chain logistics.
Headline
Knowledge
Custom Rubber Gasket Material Selection: NBR FKM and Silicone Compared
Comparing NBR, FKM, and silicone to optimize chemical compatibility, thermal limits, and long-term sealing performance in custom rubber gaskets.
Headline
Knowledge
OSM Ecosystem Explained: Future-Proofing Embedded Designs Across SoM Generations
From form factors to generational compatibility: An engineer's guide to evaluating Open Standard Modules (OSM) versus proprietary SoM designs.
Headline
Knowledge
Marine and Offshore Circuit Breaker Requirements: IP67 and Waterproof Design Considerations
Why IP67 is only part of the story, and how to verify electrical, thermal, and corrosion protection specs when specifying breakers for harsh marine environments.
Headline
Knowledge
Magnetic Sheet Applications in Retail POS Displays and Signage
From seasonal endcaps to shelf-edge tickets, flexible magnetic sheets let store teams swap graphics in minutes without drilling, taping, or damaging fixtures. Whether that promise holds up in daily store conditions comes down to picking the right thickness, adhesive, and surface finish.
Headline
Knowledge
EN 50155 Certified Computing for Railway Digitalization Projects
A comprehensive guide to selecting and specifying EN 50155-certified computing hardware for modern railway digitalization applications.
Headline
Knowledge
Why Die-Sinking EDM Electrodes Wear Unevenly and How Geometry Changes the Result
How electrode geometry, discharge behavior, flushing, and process settings influence wear patterns and dimensional accuracy in die-sinking EDM.
Headline
Knowledge
Why Automatic Spray Guns Produce Uneven Coating at Line Starts and Stops
How spray timing, pressure transients, material viscosity and motion synchronization affect coating consistency
Headline
Knowledge
Horizontal 5-Axis Machining: When Chip Evacuation and Multi-Face Access Justify the Layout
How chip flow, setup reduction, multi-sided machining, and automation determine whether a horizontal five-axis platform delivers practical value.
Headline
Knowledge
Designing Cable Assemblies for Wearable Medical Devices: Flexibility, Durability, and Patient Comfort
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) and wearable medical devices represent one of the fastest-growing segments in healthcare technology.
Headline
Knowledge
CNC Punching vs. Laser Cutting: Helping Your Customers Select the Right Technology
When comparing a CNC punching press with a CNC laser cutting machine, the best answer is rarely “one is better than the other.” The real question is which process creates the most value for a specific mix of part geometry, batch size, material flow, and downstream operations.
Headline
Knowledge
Sourcing Drawer Slides for Data Centers: Meeting the High-Density and Low-Tolerance Demands of Server Racks
As high-tech infrastructure expands, data centers are under growing pressure to support more computing power within tighter physical footprints.
Agree