Unit 4:-Heat Treatment of Metals

UNIT 4:- HEAT
TREATMENT OF METALS
• TTT Diagrams: TTT curves, continuous
cooling curves, Effect of cooling rate on TTT
diagram, effect of carbon and alloying
elements on TTT diagram.
• Heat treatment of metals: Annealing and its
types, Normalizing, Hardening, Tempering,
Martempering, Austempering, Hardenability,
surface hardening methods like Carburizing
cyaniding, nitriding flame hardening and
induction hardening, precipitation hardening.
Fig :-Salt bath I- austenitisation heat Bath II low-temperature salt-bath for
treatment. Fig 13:- Bath II low- isothermal
temperature salt-bath for
isothermal
treatment.
• Perlite formation starts by the nucleation of
cementite plate at the grain boundries of
homegeneous austenite.
• As seen in fig. (i), the first plate of Fe3C
nucleates out along the austenite grain boundary.
• As the Fe3C plate grows in the edgewise
direction, carbon from the austenite matrix
diffuses towards its flat surfaces.
• This reduces the carbon near the adjacent region
of the growing cementite (Fe3C) plate.
• It is observed that lower is the transformation
temperatures, the rate of nucleation is higher,
which gives finer pearlite.
• Finer is the pearlite better is the hardness and
strength.
• If the transformation of Austenite is allow to take place
below 550°C it results in non-lamellar structure called as
Bainite.
•Bainite is an extremely fine mixture of ferrite and

cementite.
•bainitic transformation starts by nucleation of ferrite
•The carbon in the vicinity of ferrite combines to form

cementite. microstructure consisting of very fine
distribution of cementite in ferrite is formed.
• The bainitic transformation occurring at higher
temperature is called as upper Bainite. The
upper Bainite has a feathery appearance and its
microstructure looks like tiny plates of
cementite oriented parallel to long ferrite
needles.
• the bainitic transformation occurring at lower
temperature is called as lower Bainite.
• For eutectoid steel, the hardness of upper
Bainite is in the range of 40-50 Rc and that of
lower Bainite is in the range of 50-60 Rc.
The transformation from austenite to martensite is diffusionless and
independent of time.
Time-Temperature-Transformation (T-T-T)
Diagram
Fig :-Salt bath I- austenitisation heat Bath II low-temperature salt-bath for
treatment. Fig 13:- Bath II low- isothermal
temperature salt-bath for
isothermal
treatment.
• In molten salt bath technique two salt baths
and one water bath are used to heat the steel
• pieces. Salt bath I (Fig. 1) is maintained at
Austenitising temperature (780˚C for eutectoid
steel).
• Salt bath II (Fig. 2) is maintained at specified
temperature at which transformation is to be
determined (below A1), typically 700-250°C
for eutectoid steel. Salt bath used to avoid
oxidation
• & decarburization during heating, Bath III
which is a cold water bath is maintained at
room temperature.
In bath I number of samples are austenitised at
A1+20-40°C for eutectoid and hypereutectoid steel,
A3+20-40°C for hypoeutectoid steels for about an
hour.
Then samples are removed from bath I and put in
bath II and each one is kept for different specified
period of time say t1, t2, t3, t4, tn etc.
After specified times, the samples are removed and
quenched in water.
The microstructure of each sample is studied using
metallographic techniques. The type, as well as
quantity of phases, is determined on each sample
• The time taken to 1% transformation to, say
Pearlite or bainite is considered as
• transformation start time and for 99%
transformation represents transformation finish.
On
• quenching in water austenite transforms to
martensite. Find the times of start of that
particular
• transformation & end of the transformation.
• Similar studies are conducted at different temperature, &
times of start & end of transformation are determined.
• The obtained times at different isothermal transformation
temperature are plotted on temperature Vs time graph &
smooth curves are drawn through these point.
• The curves obtained is called TTT diagram. Because of
its shape similar to letter C or S, it is called C or S curve.
• The transformation product between the nose
temperature & Ms is bainite.
• The morphology of bainite below the nose temperature
id feathery & above Ms Temperature is acicular.
Fig. T.T.T. diagram for Eutectoid Steel
• The rate of cooling necessary to just the
suppresses the diffusion transformation
• or to avoid of I.T. Diagram is called Critical
cooling rate. The critical cooling rate depends on
carbon content & alloying elements in steel. With
higher carbon or alloying element critical cooling
rate decrease.
• The shift of the nose of the I.T. diagram to the
right side gives an idea about the hardenability of
steel, less the critical cooling rate, more the
hardenability. A slower cooling rate reduces the
danger of warping & cracking.
• Importance of Critical Cooling Rate:
• 1.It is important for heat treatment of steels.
• 2.For hardening,the cooling ratemust be higher
(Faster)than the critical rate.
• 3.Critical cooling rate determines the
microstructure formed on cooling.
• 4.Final properties of steel depend on the critical
cooling rate.
• FactorsAffectingCriticalCoolingRate:
• 1.Percentageofcarboncontent:
• Composition of carbon in steel affects the T.T.T
curve. For both, hypo and hypereutectoid steel, the
T.T.T. curve shifts towards left and hence the critical
cooling rate increases i.e. faster cooling is required
to obtain martensite.
• 2.Percentageofalloyingelements:
• Similar to the effect of carbon on T.T.T. curve,
alloying elements also cause the T.T.T. curve to shift
towards left except element like cobalt.
• General objective of Heat Treatment:-
• To Harden the material.
• To resoften the material after Heat Treatment or cold
work.
• To improve mechanical, physical & chemical
properties of material.
• To relives the internal stresses of material, for e.g.
casting.(caused by Thermal factors ,
• Mechanical factors ,Metallurgical factors .)
• To stabilize the steel, so that it will not change the
dimension with time. Need for gauges.
• To refine the grain structure.
• Types of Heat Treatment:-
• 1) Softening:-
• Done to reduce strength or hardness
• Remove residual stresses
• Improve toughness
• Restore ductility
• Refine grain size or change the electromagnetic properties of the steel.
(kd)
• Restoring ductility or removing residual stresses is a necessary
operation after a large
• amount of cold working have been performed, such as in a cold-rolling
operation or
• wiredrawing.
• Annealing, normalizing and tempering are the some of principal ways
by which metals
• are softened.
• 2) Hardening:-
• It is done to increase the strength and wear
properties. One of the prerequisites for
hardening is sufficient carbon and alloy
content.
• If there is sufficient carbon content then the
steel can be directly hardened.
• Otherwise the surface of the part has to be
carbon enriched using some
• diffusion treatment hardening techniques.
• Quenching, Case Hardening are some of ways
by which material is hardened
Annealing:-
1) The term annealing refers to a heat treatment in which a

material is exposed to an elevated temperature for an
extended time period and then slowly cooled. (cr 422)
Following steps involved in Annealing:-
• Heating to required temperature -
• Holding (“soaking”) at constant temperature - Soaking
time at the high temperature needs to be long enough to
allow desired transformation to occur.
• Cooling - Cooling is done slowly to avoid
warping/cracking of due to the thermal gradients and
thermo-elastic stresses within the or even cracking the
metal piece.
Objectives of Annealing:-
• To relives the internal stresses of material, for

e.g. casting.(caused by
• Thermal factors , Mechanical
factors ,Metallurgical factors .) as it play
• major factor for premature failure.
• To increase the ductility.
• To refine the structure & make material isotropic
• To make material chemically homogeneous.
• Improve the Machinability.
TYPES OF ANNELING
• Stress Relief Annealing:- 500C and 550C
• Recrystallization annealing:-625 ̊C and 675 ̊C
• Process Annealing (intermediate annealing):-
• 100 degrees below lower critical temp
• Full Annealing:-above A3 and A1, furnace cooling
• Isothermal annealing:-
• Diffusion Annealing:-homoginising annealing,
above the upper critical
• :-
• Spheroidise annealing
• Normalizing:-
• Purpose: - This process is similar to annealing and is
carried out to avoid excessive softness in the material. The
material is heated above austenitic phase and then cooled
in air.
• This gives relatively faster cooling and hence enhanced
hardness and less ductility.
• In this process austenite is decomposed in ferrite and
carbide at relatively lower temperature and fine pearlite is
produced
• Normalizing is used for high-carbon (hypereutectoid)
steels to eliminate the cementite
• network that may develop upon slow cooling in the
temperature range from point Acm to point
• A1.Normalizing is also used to relieve internal
stresses induced by heat treating, welding,
casting, forging, forming, or machining.
Tempering
Martempering
Less distortion and warping
Austempering
Carburizing
• The introduction of carbon into the surface layer of steel that
has low carbon content.
• The process is carried out by heating the components in a
solid liquid or gaseous carbon containing medium upto
austenitising region.
• The depth of penetration of carbon into the surface is
• controlled by the time and temperature of the treatment.
• After carburizing it is necessary to harden the components
by heating to a suitable temperature and quenching.
Because carbon inthe form of martensite is required.
• It also called as cementation, case carburizing or case
hardening.
Solid carburizing or pack carburizing
Pack Carburizing Effect of carburizing temp. on case depth
Part surrounded by charcoal treated with activating

chemical – then heated to austenite temperature.
• Typical composition consist 53 - 55 % charcoal,
30- 32 % coke, remaining carbonates. of Ba,
Ca, & Na. boxes are heated upto austenitic
region kept upto desired degree of
penetration is need.
• Charcoal forms CO2 gas which reacts with
excess carbon in charcoal to form CO.
• CO reacts with low-carbon steel surface to
form atomic carbon The atomic carbon
• diffuses into the surface
•  Must then be quenched to get hardness.

Unit 4:-Heat Treatment of Metals

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Unit 4:-Heat Treatment of Metals

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UNIT 4:- HEAT

•Bainite is an extremely fine mixture of ferrite and

•bainitic transformation starts by nucleation of ferrite

•The carbon in the vicinity of ferrite combines to form

1) The term annealing refers to a heat treatment in which a

• To relives the internal stresses of material, for

Pack Carburizing Effect of carburizing temp. on case depth

Part surrounded by charcoal treated with activating

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