Search Results for heat treatment

4D high-pressure gas quenching ensures uniform heating and quenching for precise, repeatable results while reducing distortion. This article describes the process and equipment for 4D high-pressure gas quenching and gives some examples.

Getting connected and using data for operations and maintenance decisions is a great place to start when implementing Industry 4.0 concepts. This article reviews the steps that heat treaters must take toward adopting this technology, with an emphasis on implementing or enhancing predictive maintenance capabilities.

Laser surface modification (LSM) techniques provide new pathways to improving the performance of engineered structures and components, either by altering surface metallurgy or chemistry or by adding a functional surface layer.

Researchers at the Center for Heat Treating Excellence (CHTE) at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) are working with CHTE members to develop post-processing parameters to enhance the mechanical properties of additively manufactured (AM) steels. This article reports preliminary results based on characterization of AISI 8620 and 20MnCr5 powder, selective laser melted parts, and wrought parts.

This article focuses on five common reasons for distortion and cracking during heat treatment and recommended remediations: (1) Nonuniform and uncontrollable heat transfer during heating and cooling; (2) Structural changes during phase transformation; (3) Residual stresses in the part that occur due to forming, welding, or machining before heat treatment; (4) Macro or micro steel structure; and (5) Fixturing and loading errors.

For parts made by direct metal laser melting, heat treatment is important to set the final microstructure, which impacts mechanical properties.

Application of heat treat simulation using the finite element method is ideal to troubleshoot, improve, and design heat treating processes. This article presents examples of heat treating simulation used in the design of a tooling component and in refining a low-pressure carburizing process.

Temperature measurement, unvented cavities, loose powder, and direct contact of certain metals must be considered during process development for vacuum heat treatment of additively manufactured parts.

A digital refractometer gives more accurate quench concentration readings thereby reducing maintenance, increasing productivity, and ensuring desired metallurgical properties.

An examination of a bearing failure due to mismatched and incomplete flame hardening shows the need to work with heat treaters for proper selection and application. The article includes a case study of a large bearing raceway that failed due to incomplete austenitization.

Alloy developers worldwide have struggled to create creep-resistant alumina-forming, iron-based austenitic stainless steels for use as high-temperature structural alloys, but with limited success in balancing alloy cost, oxidation, and creep resistance. This article describes the research and development of a novel cast alumina-forming austenitic stainless steel. This work won the prestigious Engineering Materials Achievement Award presented at IMAT 2023 in Detroit.

The Heat Treating Society R&D Committee, under the direction of Michael Pershing, Caterpillar, has compiled a list of organizations conducting research related to heat treating. Each listing includes contact information and selected projects.

The Purdue Heat Treating Consortium works to advance the science of heat treating by turning new technologies into practice. Over the past three years, the consortium has delivered results on projects for new sustainable and environmentally friendly austempering oils and processes, as well as lifecycle analysis of carburization heat treatments.

A dilatometry test is an effective method for characterizing the phase transformation kinetics for heat treatment processing of steels. This study uses computer modeling to examine the root causes of inaccuracies in measured dilatometry displacement data using a quench dilatometer.

Stress corrosion cracking is an insidious form of damage that can occur when a susceptible metal is subjected to a tensile stress in a specific environment. To relieve tensile stresses at welded joints, postweld heat treatment can be helpful in reducing the susceptibility of carbon steel fabrications to SCC. When planning to use stainless steels in chloride-containing environments, it is advisable to select alloys that have been specifically developed to resist stress chloride cracking such as ferritic-austenitic (duplex) alloys, low-carbon ferritic alloys, and 6% Mo austenitic alloys or to select high-nickel alloys.

Modeling shows that achieving required gear performance in a reduced gear size is possible by changing the steel grade and heat treatment parameters during the design stage. This article describes work in which virtual computer models using DANTE software are applied to help achieve gear size reduction by including steel grade hardenability and heat treatment parameters in the design process.

Induction Heating and Heat Treatment, Volume 4C of the ASM Handbook, was developed to serve as a comprehensive resource on induction thermal processes to meet the needs of the induction heating and heat treating communities. This article reviews the topic coverage of the volume.

Three types of thermal treating processes are commonly applied to magnesium alloys, including annealing, solution heat treatment, and precipitation, or aging.

This study looks at whether adding an annealing step to the heat treating process has an effect on residual stress and distortion on hypoid gear sets. Test results indicate that the annealing heat treatment introduced between gear set soft cutting and case carburizing helped to minimize distortion.

News about ASM members, chapters, events, awards, conferences, affiliates, and other society activities. Topics include: ASM Board nominees for 2014-2015 announced; profile of Valery Rudnev, editor of ASM Handbook, Volume 4C, Induction Heating and Heat Treatment; volunteer profile for Bob Gaster.