1

Seminar report

on

HEAT TREATMENT FURNACES

Submitted by -

Under the

guidance of DIVYA JYOTI

Roll

Dr. P. TALUKDAR
No:

102/11

Professor
Metallurgy & Materials Engineering
Technology

Dept. of Forge

B. Tech (4th year)

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that the seminar report entitled HEAT TREATMENT FURNACES
submitted by Mr. Divya Jyoti, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
award of the degree of BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY in Metallurgy &
Materials Engineering is a bonafide seminar work carried out by him under my
guidance. In my opinion the work fulfils the requirements for which it is being
submitted.

Place:
Date:

Dr. P. TALUKDAR

Professor
Dept. of Forge Technology

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I sincerely acknowledge the help and guidance I received from Dr. P. Talukdar,
without which it would have been impossible to complete this seminar work. His
constant encouragement and words of motivation have been a source of
inspiration for me. I express my sincere gratitude to him.

I also express my gratitude to the library staffs who have helped me from time to
time as and when required.

Divya Jyoti

B.Tech 4 th yr. (Metallurgy & Materials Engg.)

Contents

Page No.

1. Abstract
5
2. Introduction
6
3. Literature Review
3.1.
Heat Treatment
7
3.2.
Processes in Heat Treatment
8
3.3.
Furnaces
10
4. Heat Treatment Furnaces
12
4.1.
Classification of heat treatment furnaces
12
4.2.
Other heat treatment furnaces
15
4.3.
Salt bath furnaces
19
5. Conclusion
21
6. References
22

ABSTRACT
Heat Treatment is a heating & cooling operation given to any metal or
alloy in order to get the desired properties. Different metals and
alloys are heat treated in different conditions to get the desired
properties. They also require different heat treatment temperatures.
So in order to provide the required conditions of temperature and
environment, different types of furnaces are used. Also, there are
different processes used in heat treatment for which different
furnaces are used. So, in this seminar report, we are going to discuss
different types of furnaces that are used in various processes of heat

treatment. Further different heat treatment furnaces are divided into

different categories based on their use, source of heat, type of work,
and working environment.

INTRODUCTION

The success of heat treatment depends on proper choice of heat treating

furnace and the type of atmosphere maintained in this furnace. Heat
treatment cycles are effective and result in reproducible properties only
when other factors like rate of heating and cooling and uniformity of
temperature are ensured according to the requirements. This makes the
choice of furnace an important aspect in heat treatment practice. Similarly,
it becomes necessary to provide protective atmosphere to ensure that
surface deterioration does not take place in reactive metals during heat

treatment. There are different furnaces used for different processes of heat
treatment. Further different heat treatment furnaces are divided into
different categories based on their use, source of heat, type of work, and
working environment. Successful heat treatment requires close control over
all factors affecting the heating and cooling of a metal. This control is
possible only when the proper equipment is available. The furnace must be
of the proper size and type and controlled, so the temperatures are kept
within the prescribed limits for each operation. Even the furnace
atmosphere affects the condition of the metal being heat-treated. The
furnace atmosphere consists of the gases that circulate throughout the
heating chamber and surround the metal, as it is being heated. In an
electric furnace, the atmosphere is either air or a controlled mixture of
gases.

3.1. HEAT TREATMENT

[1]The process of heat treating is the method by which metals are heated
and cooled in a series of specific operations that never allow the metal to
reach the molten state. The purpose of heat treating is to make a metal
more useful by changing or restoring its mechanical properties. Through
heat treating, we can make a metal harder, stronger, and more resistant to
impact. Also, heat treating can make a metal softer and more ductile. The
one disadvantage is that no heat-treating procedure can produce all of
these characteristics in one operation. Some properties are improved at the
expense of others; for example, hardening a metal may make it brittle.

Successful heat treatment requires close control over all factors affecting
the heating and cooling of a metal. This control is possible only when the

proper equipment is available. The furnace must be of the proper size and
type and controlled, so the temperatures are kept within the prescribed
limits for each operation. Even the furnace atmosphere affects the
condition of the metal being heat-treated. The furnace atmosphere consists
of the gases that circulate throughout the heating chamber and surround
the metal, as it is being heated. In an electric furnace, the atmosphere is
either air or a controlled mixture of gases. In a fuel-fired furnace, the
atmosphere is the mixture of gases that comes from the combination of the
air and the gases released by the fuel during combustion. These gases
contain various proportions of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen,
nitrogen, oxygen, water vapor, and other various hydrocarbons. Fuel-fired
furnaces can provide three distinct atmospheres when you vary the
proportions of air and fuel. They are called oxidizing, reducing, and neutral.
STAGES OF HEAT TREATMENT
Heat treating is accomplished in three major stages:
Stage lHeating the metal slowly to ensure a uniform temperature
Stage 2Soaking (holding) the metal at a given temperature for a given
time and cooling the metal to room temperature
Stage 3Cooling the metal to room temperature

3.2. PROCESSES IN HEAT TREATMENT[2,6]

ANNEALING
[7]In general, annealing is the opposite of hardening, You anneal metals to
relieve internal stresses, soften them, make them more ductile, and refine
their grain structures. Annealing consists of heating a metal to a specific
temperature, holding it at that temperature for a set length of time, and
then furnace cooling the metal to room temperature by switching off the
furnace.

NORMALIZING
[7] Normalizing is a type of heat treatment applicable to ferrous metals
only. It differs from annealing in that the metal is heated to a higher
temperature and then removed from the furnace for air cooling. The
purpose of normalizing is to remove the internal stresses induced by heat
treating, welding, casting, forging, forming, or machining.

HARDENING
The hardening treatment for most steels consists of heating the steel to a
set temperature and then cooling it rapidly by plunging it into oil, water, or
brine. Most steels require rapid cooling (quenching) for hardening but a few
can be air-cooled with the same results. Hardening increases the hardness
and strength of the steel, but makes it less ductile.
Case Hardening

Case hardening produces a hard, wear-resistant surface or case over a

strong, tough core. The principal forms of casehardening are carburizing,
cyaniding, and nitriding. Only ferrous metals are case-hardened.
TEMPERING
[7]Tempering consists of heating the steel to a specific temperature (below
its hardening temperature), holding it at that temperature for the required
length of time, and then cooling it, usually instill air. The purpose of
tempering is to reduce the brittleness imparted by hardening and to
produce definite physical properties within the steel. Tempering always
follows, never precedes, the hardening operation.

3.3. FURNACES[3]
A furnace is essentially a thermal enclosure and is employed to process
raw materials at high temperatures both in solid state and liquid state.
Several industries like iron and steel making, non ferrous metals production,
glass making, manufacturing, ceramic processing, calcination in cement
production etc. employ furnace. The principle objectives are
a) To utilize heat efficiently so that losses are minimum, and

10

b) To handle the different phases (solid, liquid or gaseous) moving at

different velocities for different times and temperatures such that erosion
and corrosion of the refractory are minimum.
Components of a furnace :
The principle components are :
1. Source of energy
(a) Fossil fuel: For fossil fuel one requires burner for efficient mixing of
fuel and air. Arrangement of burner is important.
(b)Electric energy: Resistance heating, induction heating or arc
heating.
(c) Chemical energy: Exothermic reactions
2. Suitable refractory material:
Refractory design is important. Thermal enclosure of the furnace is
designed and constructed keeping in view the requirements. For
example refractory facing the thermal enclosure must have high
refractoriness, chemically inert etc. Whereas refractory facing the
surrounding must have low thermal conductivity to minimize heat
losses.
3. Heat exchanger:
Heat exchanger is becoming now as part of the fossil fuel fired
furnaces in order to recover and reuse the heat of POC. Heat of POC
can be used either external to furnace by installing a heat exchanger
or internally by of the POC within the furnace.
4. Instrumentation and control :
Furnaces are equipped with POC analyzer and temperature control.

CLASSIFICATION OF FURNACES

Classification method

Types and examples

11

Type of fuel used

Combustion Type
Oil-fired
Gas-fired
Coal-fired
Electric Type

Mode of charging materials

Intermittent/Batch
Periodical
Forging
Re-rolling (batch/pusher)
Pot
Continuous
Pusher
Walking beam
Walking hearth
Continuous recirculating bogie
furnaces
Rotary hearth furnaces
Radiation (open fire place)
Convection (heated through
medium)
Recuperative
Regenerative

Mode of heat transfer

Mode of waste heat recovery

4. HEAT TREATMENT FURNACES[2]

Heat treatment furnaces are essentially heating chambers. All heat
treatment furnaces basically consist of a heating chamber. Furnace

12

chamber is an enclosure, a refractory vessel, which contains the charge

and retains heat. It is heated with some source of heat which should be
such that supply of heat to the furnace chamber can be controlled easily.
Such a control is essential since maintaining constant temperature for
desired time and raising the temperature at desired rate are two
important steps involved in almost all heat treatment operations.
Several furnaces, depending on their size and design, heat treatment of
components, and on several other parameters, demand for heat
circulation arrangement for efficient distribution of heat and introduction
of special atmosphere if desired. In certain cases, the charge handling
system, for the introduction and removal of charge, constitutes an
important auxiliary of the furnace.

4.1. CLASSIFICATION OF HEAT TREAMENT

FURNACES
Commonly used heat treatment furnaces may be classified according to
use, source of heat, type of work and working environment.
(a) According to use :
Annealing furnaces
Hardening furnaces
Tempering furnaces
Carburizing furnaces
(b)According to source of heat :
Fuel-fired funaces
Electrically heated furnaces
(c) According to the type of work :
Batch furnace
Continuous furnace
(d)According to the work environment :
Air convection furnaces
Controlled furnaces

Annealing furnaces :
[8]Annealing furnaces are those furnaces in which primarily annealing
operations are done. By annealing operations, we simply mean heating the
sample to the desired temperature, holding it for the desired time and then
cooling it to room temperature slowly by switching off the furnace.

13

Hardening furnaces :
Hardening furnaces are those furnaces in which basically hardening
operations are carried out. Hardening operations are carried out by heating
the sample to the desired temperature, holding it for the desired time and
then cooling it very fast by quenching it in a suitable quenching media.
Tempering furnace :
Tempering furnaces are basically used for tempering processes. Tempering
processes are essentially carried out after hardening processes. Tempering
requires repeated heating and cooling operations on the hardened sample
near the Ms temperature range.
Carburizing furnaces :
Carburizing furnaces are used for the case hardening of the sample by
carburizing process. Carburizing furnaces are essentially carried out in
special furnaces in which a carburizing atmosphere can be made.
Carburizing atmosphere can be made by solid, liquid ao gaseous medium.
Fuel-fired furnaces :
Fuel-fired furnaces can be further classified depending on the type of fuel,
i.e. solid fuel, liquid fuel and gaseous fuel. Solid fuel-fired heat treatment
furnaces are no longer in use. Commonly used liquid fuel is fuel oil.
Gasoline and kerosene can be used successfully, but they are not being
used due to their high cost. Liquid fuels are easy to store and the furnace
can be fired at any time. Furnace temperature of such furnaces can be
controlled easily with the help of a simple valve connected to the supply
line. Oil-fired furnace can attain temperature as high as 1200o C or more. In
fact, oil-fired are economical only at high temperature, i.e. in the vicinity of
1000o C. One important limitation of such furnaces is that the temperature
is not uniform throughout the chamber and so the use of heat circulation
arrangement is essential. Gas-fired have specific advantages over oil-fired
furnaces. They are more economical, possess better control of temperature,
have simpler design, and can be used up to 1500o C. In fact, as far as
efficiency and economy are concerned, gas-fired furnaces are inferior only
to electrically heated furnaces. Natural gas, coke oven gas, water gas,
producer gas and refinery gas can be used in such furnaces.

Electrically heated furnaces :

Electric furnaces are most common now-a-days and are being used
extensively. Electrically heated furnaces offer certain advantages such

14

as uniformity of temperature in the furnace chamber, close control of

temperature,
freedom
from pollution,
neat and clean
working
conditions, efficient use of heat energy (i.e. minimum loss of heat
energy), minimum requirement of accessories, and ease of starting and
closing down. High temperatures can be achieved in electrical furnaces
in several ways. Depending on the method of heating, electrical
furnaces can be grouped into resistance furnace, arc furnace, induction
furnace, plasma arc furnace and electron beam furnace. Resistance
furnaces are extensively used for heat treating metals and alloys. In
such furnaces, temperature can be controlled easily and to a high
degree of accuracy. Depending on the desired temperature, various
resistors can be used.
Batch furnace :
In batch furnaces, in general, loading and unloading of the charge is
done manually. These furnaces find wide applicability as these are
suitable for varying sizes of work-pieces to be heat treated. Also, with
their help, different heat treatment operations can be performed.
There is flexibility of operation. These furnaces are ideal for a plant
based on job orders and having limited furnaces. The name batch
furnace denotes that heat treatment of work-pieces is carried out and
completed in various batches. If required, heat treatment process can
be varied after each batch.
Continuous furnace :
In continuous furnaces, the charge is introduced from one end of the
furnace and is
forced to move to another end. The complete process is adjusted in
such a way that discharged component is heat treated to the desired
specifications. Such type of furnaces are very well suited for mass
production units where parts are subjected to well established heat
treatment cycles. Only one specific operation is performed in such
furnaces. Considerable manual labour is involved in batch type furnaces
in loading and unloading of charge. This is minimized to a great extent by
using continuous furnace.
These furnaces are recommended under
conditions of continuous processing and ensure consistent
and
reproducible quality of heat treated parts.
Air convection

furnaces :

Most of the heat treatment furnaces are of air convection type. These
are simple furnaces in only those samples are heat treated in which the role
of surrounding atmosphere is negligible. Heating of the sample takes place
by the convection of hot air present in the furnace.
Controlled
Controlled

atmosphere furnaces :
atmosphere furnaces are used only under specific conditions

15

and for limited metals and alloys. A controlled atmosphere is defined

as a furnace atmosphere that protects the metal from oxidation and
maintains. the desired properties at the surface of the metal during
heat treatment. The composition and distribution of the atmosphere are
deliberately controlled to produce specific surface characteristics. So the
reactive metals and alloys are essentially heat treated in controlled
atmosphere furnaces in order to avoid their oxidation and maintain the
desired properties.

4.2. OTHER HEAT TREATMENT FURNACES

[2,5]There are different other heat treatment furnaces which are
categorized under the groups of batch and continuous furnaces. These are
as follows :
BATCH FURNACES

Box type batch furnace

One of the simplest batch furnaces is the box type batch furnace (Fig.
11.1). Like box, it has opening door at one face only. From the door or
gate, work-pieces to be heat treated are introduced and taken out from
the same door after completion of the heat treatment operation. The
loading and unloading are done manually. For heavy and bulky
components, mechanical means are adopted for introduction and
discharging. The problem associated with movement of heavy and
bulky components has been solved to a great extent by designing box type
batch furnace in such a way that the bottom is movable, i.e. the bottom
can be detached/taken out and after loading it can be fitted back. The
bottom should be fitted in closely, and proper sealing should be ensured
prior to use. Box type batch furnaces have the advantage of flexibility.
These can be used over a wide range of operating conditions. In order to
have the maximum advantage out of these furnaces, the furnace
capacity should be used to the maximum possible extent. These
furnaces can be heated up electrically or by any fuel.

Muffle furnaces
Muffle furnaces (see Fig. 11.2) are very common in use. The most

16

important part of these furnaces is the muffle which is a hollow cuboid made
of special refractory material. Any fuel or electrical energy can be used to
heat the muffle. Electrically heated muffle furnaces are more popular
and are extensively used for the heat treatment of small parts. Here the
muffle is surrounded
by heating element such as nichrome and
kanthal wire. Fuel- fired muffle furnace can be of two types, namely.
indirect and direct fuel- fired muffle furnaces. Indirect fuel-fired muffle
furnace has advantages
over direct fuel-fired muffle furnace for
obvious reasons. Less scaling, reduced contaminations,
possibility of
controlling atmosphere within the muffle, and better uniformity of
temperature distribution are some of the advantages.

Pit type batch furnace

Pit type batch furnace (Fig. 11.3) is mainly used for heavy and large
parts. This furnace is generally heated up electrically, and is
essentially a portion lies below the ground level. In this furnace,
loading is done mechanically from the top which has an opening.

Bogie hearth batch furnace

Bogie hearth batch furnace (Fig. 11.4) can be considered as improved
(modified) box type batch furnace. The furnace is specifically suitable
for heat treating bulky and heavy components although it can also be
used for heat treatment of small components. The furnace consists of
a refractory topped run-out bogie acting as a hearth, and carries. the
parts to be heat treated. The bogie should be well within the furnace

17

chamber. Atmosphere within the furnace chamber can be controlled by

employing proper sealing.

Lift-off cover furnace

Lift-off cover furnace (Fig. 11.5), also referred to as bell type furnace, is
a fixed base furnace and consists of two containers. The base is generally
made of heat resisting alloy steel. -The work-pieces to be heat treated are
put on this base. After loading, one container, called inner container, is
placed on the base. Another bell shaped container, known as outer
container, is placed over the inner one and the furnace is heated up
electrically. The inner container is made of heat resisting alloy steel,
whereas the outer one is a metal encased refractory. This furnace is
widely used in wire industries for annealing coils of steel wire, steel strips
and non-ferrous
metals under controlled atmosphere to prevent
decarburization or oxidation.

CONTINUOUS

FURNACES

Rotary hearth furnaces

Rotary hearth furnaces (Fig. 11.6) fall into the group of continuous type
furnaces. As the name suggests, these furnaces consist of a rotating

18

hearth. The hearth rotates along its vertical axis. The components to be
heat treated are charged through an
opening. After completion
of
the heat treatment cycle, heat treated components are taken out from
the same opening or one adjacent to it. The speed of rotation is
adjusted in such a manner that heat treatment cycle is completed by
the time the hearth undergoes one complete rotation.

Conveyor furnace
Conveyor furnace (Fig. 11.7) consists of an/endless conveyor belt which
moves at a very slow rate. The components to be heat treated are
placed on the belt. The component on the belt enters the furnace from
one end and comes out from the other. During this movement, the
heating cycle is completed. Since the belt is moving continuously,
components
are either collected
in a box or dropped into the
quenching tank. These furnaces are generally used for hardening and
tempering treatment.

Tunnel furnace
Tunnel furnace (Fig. 11.8) is commonly used for annealing. In such a
furnace, the charge is loaded on a number of cars. The cars are
pushed slowly into the furnace, and pass through the furnace with the
help of some mechanical means and finally come back to the starting
point as a result of the circular path followed. Thus, a continuous
process of movement of cars results in the removal of one car and
introduction of next charged car simultaneously.

19

Rotary furnace
Rotary furnace (Fig. 11.9) is used for heat treating small parts for hardening;- tempering, gas carburizing, and so on. It consists of a steel drum
with refractory lining, and rotates at a slow speed around its horizontal
axis. In general, the horizontal axis of the steel drum is-inclined.

4.3. SALT BATH FURNACES

[2,4]Molten salt bath furnaces (Fig. 11.10) essentially consist of a
container made of ceramic or metal. This container holds molten salt in
which work pieces are immersed. Molten salt bath furnaces can be used
within a wide range of temperature (l50-1300C). The commonly used
salts are nitrates, chlorides, carbonates, cyanides and caustic soda. The
mode of heat transfer totne
work-piece is by convection through the
liquid bath. As the molten baths possess high heat capacity and heat is
transferred by convection, the work-piece is heated up very quickly as
compared to conventional furnaces (rate of heating is about five times
higher in these furnaces). These furnaces can be heated by fuel or
electricity. Electrically heated salt bath furnaces are much more common
in use. These can be classified into three types, namely, externally
heated, immersion heating element, and immersed electrode type salt
bath furnaces.
Salt bath furnaces are used for various heat treatment operations such

20

as cyaniding, liquid carburizing, liquid nitriding, austempering,

martempering, hardening and tempering.
These furnaces offer certain advantages over otherfurnaces. For example,
all work-pieces are at uniform temperature and have identical
surroundings. Such a condition results in better surface conditions and
consistent and reproducible results. Since work-piece is in direct contact
with the molten bath, there is no danger of oxidation and/or
decarburization. Selective heat treatment of the work-piece can be
performed by immersing only the desired portion of the work-piece. The
time consumed in the process is very little, Also, complicated shapes or
objects with variable section thicknesses can be heated along with
simply shaped objects. Similarly, light and heavy objects can be
handled in the same bath.

21

CONCLUSION
In this seminar report we have seen that the successful heat treatment
requires close control over all factors affecting the heating and cooling of a
metal. This control is possible only when the proper equipment is available.
The furnace must be of the proper size and type and controlled, so the
temperatures are kept within the prescribed limits for each operation. Even
the furnace atmosphere affects the condition of the metal being heattreated. The furnace atmosphere consists of the gases that circulate
throughout the heating chamber and surround the metal, as it is being
heated. In an electric furnace, the atmosphere is either air or a controlled
mixture of gases. So different furnaces should be used for different heat
treatment purposes in order to get the desired properties in a material and
also avoid the oxidation of the sample by correct use of controlled
atmosphere.

22

REFERENCES
1. Physical Metallurgy by Vijendra Singh
2. Heat treatment : Principles and techniques by T.V. Rajan, C.P. Sharma, Ashok
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Sharma
Elements of fuels, furnaces and refractories by O.P. Gupta
Heat treatment furnaces, (www.prolific.co.in/furnace.htm)
Chapter IX Heat treatment furnaces (dspace.wbpublibnet.gov.in)
Heat treatment pdf (home.iitk.ac.in)
Lecture 7 (www.nptel.ac.in/courses)
(www.wisegeek.com)