McCalla, Jonathon T

ME 3311 Su/2015
Heat Treating
Heat treating is the process by which pressure, and temperature are applied and controlled over a
specific time interval in order to change material properties. The whole purpose of heat treating
is to alter the hardness, ductility, strength, toughness, or to remove internal stresses. There are
three general categories of heat treating; Surface Hardening, Hardening, and Annealing.
Annealing is the only one of the three that softens metals. This is accomplished by heating the
material to austenitic range and then cooling it slowly. Annealing is generally performed to
improve the ductility of materials. Surface hardening and general hardening are accomplished by
heating up the material to the austenitic range and then rapidly cooling, or quenching, the
material. Surface hardening only heats the surface of the material. Often the teeth of gears will
need to be surface hardened, as an example. There are several mediums for quenching the metals
that all vary in the rate of cooling. Using brine cools materials the quickest due to the high
thermal capacity of water. Plain water, oil, and air can also be used for a less severe quench.
However, the easiest cooling method by far is furnace cooling.
Alloying Elements and their Effects
There are few different alloying elements that each effect stainless steels in their own ways.
Alloying elements are generally added to improve chemical properties, increase resistance to
corrosion, and provide better resistance to wear. Chromium is the allying element that gives
stainless steels their resistance to oxidation and increases the service temperatures. When
chromium is exposed to air it forms a layer of chromium oxide to prevent further corrosion. For a
steel to be considered stainless it needs a chromium content of at least eleven percent. Nickel
is added to help create austenitic microstructures, and improve weldability. Nickel can also
improve ductility and toughness, and along with Copper, Nickel can provide corrosion resistance
from acids and bases. Molybdenum significantly increases resistance to corrosion and improves
mechanical strength. Molybdenum can also create a ferritic microstructure. Manganese is added
to improve ductility at high temperatures, and to increase the solubility of nitrogen in the steel.
Hardenability
Hardenability is a measure of the ability of an alloy steel to form martensite as a result of a heat
treating process. There are three main factors that effect the formation of martensite; the

McCalla, Jonathon T
ME 3311 Su/2015