Component Design

A systematic procedure for minimizing risks involved in heat treated steel components requires a combination of metallurgical failure analysis and fitness for service with respect to safety and reliability based on risk analysis. This chapter begins with an overview of heat treat processing of steels. This is followed by sections on various aspects of heat treatment design and heat treating practices for minimizing distortion. Influence of design, steel grade, and condition is then illustrated in the examples of failures due to heat treatment. A procedure is analyzed to improve the performance of the design process of a component. A heat-transfer model, coupling with a phase transformation model, a thermomechanical model, and a thermochemical model, is also considered. The chapter further provides information on the failure aspects of and heat treatment procedures applied to welded components. It ends with a section on risk-based approach applicable to heat treated steel components.