This chapter focuses on induction heating principles, including penetration depth and temperature distribution, frequency ranges, inductor efficiency, and power turnover. It also lists the power densities of commonly used heat sources.

This chapter provides a discussion on the power supplies of modern induction heating plants. It describes the mode of operation and functional principle of an inverter. The chapter also provides a short note on generator cooling, which is required for the components of the induction power supply. It then presents an overview of induction heating systems.

This chapter explains the fundamentals of soldering technology and provides an overview of the soldering process. It discusses the wetting of the molten solder filler metal to the base material surface and the design aspects when induction heating is used to make the solder joint.

This chapter presents the following groupings of metals and alloys that are soldered together: steel and iron-base alloys, aluminum and aluminum alloys, and copper and copper alloys. It also presents the ancillary materials and process methods that assist the solder filler metal in completing the solder joint through induction heating. The chapter focuses on the selection of fluxes and the use of inert gases or even vacuum to realize an oxide-free base material surface both before and during the soldering process.

This chapter explores case studies on using induction heating for joining applications, encompassing both soldering and brazing to demonstrate versatility. Each study focuses on inductor coil design, workpiece geometry, and production quantities, emphasizing optimization due to the interplay between material geometry, coil configuration, and process parameters like generator frequency and power. The case studies provide real-world data on effectively implementing induction heating in joining processes.

This chapter summarizes the microstructural basis of conventional high-strength steels (HSS) and the three generations of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS). It presents the requirements of a third generation advanced high-strength steel and its microstructural design. The chapter also includes a discussion about novel AHSS processing routes: quenching, partitioning, and double-stabilization thermal cycling.

This chapter discusses ultra-high-strength steels (UHSS) and gigapascal (GPa) steels and discusses the global formability diagram.

Critical process variables must be controlled to ensure uniform and repeatable heat-treating results. This chapter covers the subject of controlling the heat-treating process. All heat-treating equipment utilizes various sensors, timers, and other components to monitor and control the process utilizing various control methods. The chapter focuses on temperature control and measurement, including a discussion about thermocouples and devices for measuring thermal and electrical conductivity.

This chapter details the types of heat treating furnaces. It discusses energy sources and modes of heat transmission. The chapter’s focus is on the different types of batch furnaces and continuous furnaces, including box furnaces, integral-quench batch furnaces, pit furnaces, furnaces for heat treating with fluidized beds, and straight chamber continuous furnaces.

This chapter discusses furnace atmospheres. It describes how furnace atmospheres protect metals, transfer heat, and supply alloying elements (carbon and nitrogen). The chapter focuses on the different types of atmospheres that are available to the heat treater: combustion products, air, exothermic, salt, nitrogen, endothermic, ammonia, hydrogen, inert gas, and vacuum.

This chapter discusses vacuum furnace processes and their design. The chapter focuses on the pressure levels, heating elements, pumping systems, temperature control systems, and quenching systems in vacuum furnaces. It then details specific applications of vacuum heat treating.

This chapter describes case depth and discusses flame hardening, laser heat treatment, electron beam hardening, induction heat treatment, and induction hardening.

This chapter focuses on gas carburizing. It includes a history of carburizing and explains the objectives of the carburizing process. The chapter discusses atmospheres, sources of carbon, reactions in the gas carburizing process, and effects of process variables such as temperature and time. Furnaces for gas carburizing are described and potential microstructure problems are introduced.

Carbonitriding introduces and diffuses atomic nitrogen into the surface steel during carburization. This chapter focuses on case composition of a carbonitrided case, case depth, case hardenability, hardness gradients, void formation, and applications of carbonitriding. The chapter discusses furnaces suitable for carbonitriding, atmosphere constituents, batch furnace atmospheres, continuous furnace atmospheres, safety, temperature selection, quenching, tempering, and hardness testing of a carbonitrided case.

This chapter details suitable steels for gas nitriding and discusses conventional gas nitriding, plasma (Ion) nitriding, the ferritic nitrocarburizing processes, gaseous ferritic nitrocarburizing, plasma nitrocarburizing, and the salt-bath ferritic nitrocarburizing processes.

This chapter covers the steps and tests that are important to produce quality parts in heat treating. The quality tests discussed include hardness tests, such as Brinell, Rockwell, and microhardness tests. The chapter also examines tensile testing, toughness testing, optical metallography, and nondestructive testing. The chapter concludes by discussing in-process inspections and the final inspection.

To ensure consistency, quality of results, and documentation compliance, audits are required when heat treating. This chapter introduces basic parts of the ISO certification program.

This article introduces some of the general sources of heat treating problems with particular emphasis on problems caused by the actual heat treating process and the significant thermal and transformation stresses within a heat treated part. It addresses the design and material factors that cause a part to fail during heat treatment. The article discusses the problems associated with heating and furnaces, quenching media, quenching stresses, hardenability, tempering, carburizing, carbonitriding, and nitriding as well as potential stainless steel problems and problems associated with nonferrous heat treatments. The processes involved in cold working of certain ferrous and nonferrous alloys are also covered.

This article presents a simple cost/pricing system that is reasonably accurate and could easily be recalculated if the yearly cost of any of the basic cost components change. Using the example of a commercial heat treating facility, the operational details are categorized as atmosphere processes, induction processes, aluminum processes, high-heat processes, and secondary processes. For the purpose of calculating the heat treatment processing cost per hour and the selling price for a piece of equipment, the costs are separated into direct costs, allocated costs, capitalized cost, and general and administrative costs. The article discusses the techniques involved in allocating costs to the group of equipment, and presents a description on the cost analysis of endothermic gas.

The appendix provides a glossary of practical heat treating terms.