IRON – CARBON SYSTEM

CHAPTER 7
HEAT TREATMENT of STEEL

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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What is HEAT TREATMENT and its purpose?
 A heating and cooling procedure to cause desired changes in the
microstructure (mechanical properties).

 Changes in properties include:

 Improvement in toughness
 Increase in hardness
 Increase in ductility
 Improvement in machinability
 Grain size refinement
 Removal of residual stresses
 Improvement in wear resistance

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Heat treatment of steel consists of 3 steps:

1. Heating the steel to a specific temperature
2. Holding the steel at this temperature for a period of time
3. Controlled cooling of the steel to room temperature

 Heating and Cooling are very important because:

 Poor control of temperature may lead to temperature

gradients in the work-piece

 Temperature gradient may lead to internal stresses, which

can lead to cracking

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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 Both carbon content and alloying elements affect the process of heat
treatment in steels

 Addition of alloying elements greatly affects steel properties. They

cause the steel to have a wide range of microstructures after heat
treatment, which results in a wide range of properties

 Alloying elements interact with Fe, C and other elements in the steel,
which results in changes in the physical, chemical and mechanical
properties

 Alloying elements affect the critical temperature, A1 and A3

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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 The critical temperature A1 and A3 are very important because they
determine the lowest temperature to which a steel should be heated
for heat treatment

 Alloying elements are divided into two groups:

 - stabiliser elements (elements which narrow the - phase)

 - stabiliser elements (elements which narrow the - phase)

 The elements narrowing the - phase raise the critical point A1 and A3
(eutectoid temperature), while the elements broadening the - phase
lower A1 and A3

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Heat treatment of steel

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Annealing

 Annealing is used to reduce strength, remove residual stresses,

improve toughness, restore ductility, and refine grain size

 There are three types of annealing:

1. Full Annealing
2. Process Annealing
3. Stress Relief Annealing
4. Spheroidising

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Full Annealing
 Full annealing involves:
 Heating of steel above the upper
critical temperature (UCT):
above A1 for hypoeutectoid and
above A3 for hypereutectoid
steels (into g- phase)
 Hold at this temperature to
convert the steel to uniform
austenite
 Cool slowly in furnace to room A3
A1
temperature to produce coarse
pearlite
 Full annealing is used for low and
medium carbon steels

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Process Annealing
 Process annealing is carried
out on cold worked steel to
restore strain-free structure Strength
and ductility (to remove strain
hardening effect) Hardness Ductility

 Annealing heat treatment

consists of three steps:

1. Recovery
2. Recrystalisation
3. Grain growth

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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 Process Dislocations
move and form
boundaries of a
polygonised subgrain
structure
 Reduction of stresses

Recrystallisation
Recovery Grain Growth

 Nucleation & growth

of new grains  Higher temperature leads to
containing fewer grain growth
dislocations

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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 Stress-Relief Annealing:
 This type of annealing is used to remove residual stresses due to
plastic deformation, phase transformation or heavy machining
 This process is carried out at temperatures below the LCT

 Spheroidising
 This process is usually carried out on hypereutectoid steels in
which the hard cementite forms a brittle network around the
pearlite (this will make machinability difficult)
 Spheroidising is done to improve the machinability of the steel
 Spheroidising will produce a spheroidal form of cementite in a
ferritic matrix

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Normalising

 Normalising is similar to full

annealing but cooling is faster
(in air for example)

 Normalising is done to
produce:
 Fine pearlite
 Higher strength and
hardness
 But lower ductility
 Improve machinability

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Stress Relief Spheroidizing

Reduce stresses caused Make very soft steels for good
by plastic deformation, machining. Heat just below TE,
non-uniform cooling and hold for up to 20 hours
phase transformation
Full Annealing
Types of Make soft steels for good
Annealing forming by heating in
Process Anneal austenite, then cool in
furnace to produce coarse
pearlite
Negate the effect of cold Normalising
working
Deform steel with large grains,
then normalise to produce
small grains

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Quenching & Tempering
1. Conventional Q & T

 Many tools and parts of

equipments are hardened
prior to their use

 Steels are hardened by being:

1. Heated to temperature just

above the UCT (A1 or A3)
2. Soaked (held) long enough
to ensure a completely
austenite structure
3. Cooled rapidly or
quenched
Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM
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 The microstructure produced is martensite, which is extremely hard
and strong with low ductility and practically no machinability

 Quenching medium used depends on the steel composition:

 Carbon steels are usually quenched in water or brine
 Alloy steels are quenched in oil

Tempering

 After hardening, most steels components are highly stressed and

many will be very brittle
 It is therefore necessary to temper, by heating to an appropriate
temperature between 150 – 700 oC (< A1)

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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 During tempering:
1. The BCT martensite
transforms to BCC ferrite
2. Fine distribution of
cementite (Fe3C)
particles in the ferrite
matrix

Martensite

Tempered Martensite
Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM
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1. What is the purpose of heat treatment Outline the main steps.
Th2. The followings are various heat treatment applied on steels. Give the name of the process,
final microstructures and predict the mechanical properties:
1. a) Cold-rolled mild steel heated at temperature of 600oC followed by furnace-
cooled
2. b) Eutectoid steel that is air-cooled from temperature of 900oC.
3. c) Hypoeutectoid steel that is furnace-cooled from temperature of 900oC
4. d) Hyperutectoid steel that is furnace-cooled from temperature of 650oC.
5. e) Hyperutectoid steel that is rapidly cooled in brine solutions at temperature of
900oC.
6. f) Steel in (e) is reheated to 400oC and furnace-cooled

3.3. Describe the structural changes of the following steel when slowly cooled from the
austenitic region:
a) a) 0.4%C plain carbon steel
b) b) plain carbon eutectoid steel
c) c) 1.2%C plain carbon steel
Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM
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TTT DIAGRAM

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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2. Austempering
 A hardening treatment that involves
1. Quenching the steel in a bath
of molten salt maintained
above Ms
2. Holding the steel until
transformation is complete

 The microstructure formed is

bainite: a tough and hard structutre

 Main advantages of Austempering:

1. Less distortion and
quenching cracks
2. No tempering is required

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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3. Martempering
1. The quenching from the normal
austenitising temperature in a molten Martempering has the same
salt bath at approximately the Ms advantages as Austempering

2. The part is held at this temperature

long enough to allow equalisation of
temperature throughout the part, but
long enough to allow any
transformation to occur

3. The part is then air cooled through the

martensite temperature range

4. Tempering to obtain the desired

mechanical properties

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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• Co = Ceutectoid Rapid Hold Rapid Hold Rapid
• Three histories... cool to: for: cool to: for: cool to:

350°C 10 4s Troom 10 4s Troom

Case I 250°C 10 2s Troom 10 2s Troom
800 Austenite (stable)
650°C 20s 400°C 10 3s Troom
T(°C) A
P
600
S
A B
400
100%A 100%B

0%
200 M + A 50%
M+A 90%
M+A
100% Bainite
10-1 10 10 3 10 5 time (s)

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram 12

SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM
 IRON-C System
Example :
Using the TTT diagram for eutectoid steel, specify the final
microstructure (in terms of microconstituent present and
approximate percentage) of a small specimen that has been
subjected to the followings treatment. In each case assume
that the specimen begins at 760oC :
a) Rapidly cool to 350oC, hold for 104s, and quench to RT
b) Rapidly cool to 250oC, hold for 100s, and quench to RT
c) Rapidly cool to 650oC, hold for 20s, rapidly cool to 400oC,
hold for 103s and quench to RT

SME 1613: Chapter 6 Astuty Amrin UTM-2007

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Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram 13

SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM
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Adapted from
Fig. 10.15,
Callister 6e.

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram 14

SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM
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CONTINUOUS COOLING TRANSFORMATION
(CCT Diagram)

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Continuous Cooling-Transformation Diagram
In continuous cooling transformation from martensite to pearlite takes place
at a range of temperature.
Start and finish lines shifted to longer time.
No transformation below 4500C.

Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM

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Austenite ( g )

slow moderate rapid

cool cool quench

Pearlite Bainite Martensite

( a + Fe3C layers + a ( a + Fe3C plates/needles) (BCT phase
proeutectoid phase) diffusionless
transformation)

Martensite reheat
T Martensite
Strength

Ductility
bainite Tempered
fine pearlite Martensite
coarse pearlite ( a+ very fine
spheroidite Fe 3C particles)

General Trends
Chapter 7 : Fe-C Diagram SME 1613: Astuty Amrin, UTM