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Ch-27.3 Heat Treatment of Metals
Ch-27.3 Heat Treatment of Metals
Contd...
Purpose of heat treatment:
Stress Relieving
Quench Hardening
Tempering
Carburizing
Carbon Nitriding
Age Hardening
Ion Nitriding
Contd...
6. To improve the cutting properties of tools.
Contd...
Benefits of annealing are:
• relieve stresses
Contd...
IES-2005
The complete phase recrystallization and fine
grain structure is obtained in casting, forging and
rolled parts by:
Heat above the upper critical point and held for some
time, then rapidly cool to a temp. 600 - 700°C, and is
held at this new temperature until the austenite is
completely decomposed to form pearlite.
Contd...
IES 2010
Isothermal annealing is mainly used in alloy
steels to improve
(a) Machinability
(b) Toughness
(c) Ductility
(d) Weld ability
Stress relief annealing
Stress relief annealing process consists of three steps.
The first step is heating the cold worked steel to a
temperature between 5000 C and 550oC C i.e. below its
recrystallization temperature.
The second step involves holding the steel component at this
temperature for 1-2 hours.
The final step is to cool the steel component to room
temperature in air.
It partly relieves the internal stress in cold worked steels
without loss of strength and hardness i.e. without change in
the microstructure. Since only low carbon steels can be cold
worked, the process is applicable to hypoeutectoid steels
containing less than 0.4% carbon.
GATE 2014 (PI)
For a metal alloy, which one of the following descriptions
relates to the stress-relief annealing process?
(a) Heating the workpiece material above its
recrystallization temperature, soaking and then cooling
in still air
(b) Heating the workpiece material below its
recrystallization temperature, holding for some time and
then furnace cooling
(c) Heating the workpiece material up to its
recrystallization temperature and then rapid cooling
(d) Heating the workpiece up to its recrystallization
temperature and cooling to room temperature
alternately for a few cycles
Normalizing
Main objective
1. Refine grain, improve machinability, tensile strength and
structure of weld.
2. Remove cold worked stess.
3. Remove dislocations due to hot working.
Process
Heat the steel from 30°C to 50°C above its upper critical
temp, held about fifteen minutes and then allowed to cool
down in still air.
Homogeneous structure provides a higher yield point,
ultimate tensile strength and impact strength with lower
ductility to steels.
Contd...
GATE-2014
The process of reheating the reduce its brittleness
without any significant loss in its hardness is
[8-Marks]
Induction hardening
Alternating current of high frequency passes for few
second through an induction coil enclosing the steel
part to be heat treated.
Contd...
There is fully austenitic state is essential. If carburizing
is done in the ferritic region, the carbon, with very
limited solubility in ferrite, tends to form massive
cementite particles near the surface, making the
subsequent heat treatment difficult.
For this reason, carburizing is always done in the
austenitic state, even though longer times are required
due to the diffusion rate of carbon in austenite being
less that in ferrite at such temperatures.
IES 2011
Assertion (A): Carburizing is used for machine
elements which have to have a wear resistant
working surface.
Reason (R) : The composition of surface layers
are changed in carburizing.
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the
correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is NOT
the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
GATE-1992
Carburized machine components have high
endurance limit because carburization
(a) Raises the yield point of the material
(b) Produces a better surface finish
(c) Introduces a compressive layer on the surface
(d) Suppresses any stress’s, concentration produced in
the component.
IES-1992
In case carburising Carbon is introduced to form a
high carbon layer at the surface. The carbon is
introduce in the form of
(a) Graphite flakes (b) Pearlite
(c) Cementite (d) Free carbon
IES-2005
If the surface of a component is heavily stressed
while the stresses in the core are of comparative
small magnitude, which one of the following heat
treatment methods is employed?
(a) Annealing (b) Tempering
(c) Quenching (d) Case hardening
Cyaniding
Cyaniding is done in a liquid bath of NaCN, with the
concentration varying between 30 and 97%.
Contd...
In dispersion hardening, fine second particles are mixed
with matrix powder, consolidated, and pressed in powder
metallurgy techniques.
For dispersion hardening, second phase need to have very
low solubility at all temperatures.
E.g.: oxides, carbides, nitrides, borides, etc.
Dislocation moving through matrix embedded with
foreign particles can either cut through the particles or
bend around and bypass them.
Cutting of particles is easier for small particles which can
be considered as segregated solute atoms. Effective
strengthening is achieved in the bending process, when
the particles are submicroscopic in size.
Contd...
Optimum strengthening occurs during aging once the right
interspacing of particles is achieved.
Smaller the particles, dislocations can cut through them at
lower stresses
larger the particles they will be distributed at wider
distances.
IES-2009
Which one of the following materials can be
subjected to an age hardening process?
(a) HSS
(b) Aluminium
(c) Pure iron
(d) Stellite
IES-1994; 2005
Assertion (A): Carburizing is done on non-ferrous
alloys to increase the surface hardness.
Reason (R): Precipitation hardening of non-
ferrous alloys involves solution heat treatment
followed by precipitation heat treatment.
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the
correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is not the
correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
IES 2007
Which one among the following is the most
effective strengthening mechanism of non-
ferrous metal?
(a) Solid solution hardening
(b) Strain hardening
(c) Grain size refinement
(d) Precipitation hardening
IES-2001
Which one of the following pairs is correctly
matched?
(a) Solid solution strengthening… Increasing density
of dislocations
(b) Dispersion hardening ………..Creating strained
region in the crystal
(c) Strain-hardening …………....Creating particles to
resist the movement
of dislocations
(d) Precipitation-hardening….. Creating particles by
decreasing solubility of one
phase in another
Grain growth
Grain growth follows complete crystallization if the
material is left at elevated temperatures.
Grain growth does not need to be preceded by recovery
and recrystallization; it may occur in all polycrystalline
materials.
In contrary to recovery and recrystallization, driving force
for this process is reduction in grain boundary energy.
Tendency for larger grains to grow at the expense of smaller
grains is based on physics.
In practical applications, grain growth is not desirable.
Incorporation of impurity atoms and insoluble second
phase particles are effective in retarding grain growth.
Grain growth is very strongly dependent on temperature.
Season cracking or stress-corrosion
cracking.
Brasses with more than 15% zinc often experience
season cracking or stress-corrosion cracking.
Both stress and exposure to corrosive media are
required for this failure to occur (but residual stresses
and atmospheric moisture may be sufficient!).
As a result, cold-worked brass is usually stress relieved
(to remove the residual stresses) before being placed in
service.
IES 2007
Which one of the following elements/ alloy
exhibits season cracking?
(a) Iron (b) Brass
(c) Aluminium (d) Steel
IAS 1994
Major operations in the manufacture of steel balls
used for Ball bearings are given below
1. Oil lapping 2. Cold heading
3. Annealing 4. Hardening
5. Rough grinding
The correct sequence of these operations is
Contd…
In this system the carbon (solute atom) atom occupies
an interstitial position between iron (solvent atom)
atoms.
Normally, atoms which have atomic radii less than one
angstrom are likely to form interstitial solid solutions.
Examples are atoms of carbon (0.77 A°), nitrogen (0.71
A°), hydrogen (0.46 A°), Oxygen (0.60 A°) etc.
IES 2011
Assertion (A) : Solid solutions of metal are
crystal whose properties are close to those of
the solvent.
Reason (R) : They retain the same crystal lattice
and type of bond.
(a) Both A and R are individually true and R is the
correct explanation of A
(b) Both A and R are individually true but R is NOT
the correct explanation of A
(c) A is true but R is false
(d) A is false but R is true
INTERMETALLIC COMPOUNDS
Intermetallic compounds are generally formed when
one metal (for example magnesium) has chemical
properties which are strongly metallic and the other
metal (for example antimony, tin or bismuth) has
chemical properties which are only weakly metallic.
Examples of intermetallic compounds are Mg2Sn,
Mg2Pb, Mg3Sb2 and Mg3 Bi2.
These intermetallic compounds have higher melting
point than either of the parent metal.
This higher melting point indicates the high strength
of the chemical bond in intermetallic compounds.
IES-2001
Which of the following factors govern solubility of
two non-ferrous metals both in liquid state, as
well as in solid state?
1.Crystal structure 2.Relative size factor
3.Chemical-affinity factor 4.Relative valence
factor
Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
Codes:
(a) 1, 2 and 3 (b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1 and 4 (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
IES 2010
Consider the following:
1. Crystal structure 2. Relative size
3. Chemical affinity 4. Valency
Which of these factors govern relative
solubility of two metals in each other in the
solid state?
(a) 1, 2 and 3 only
(b) 2, 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 2 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
IES-2006
Which one of the following factors is more
relevant to represent complete solubility of two
metals in each other?
(a) Chemical affinity (b) Valency factor
(c) Crystal structure factor (d) Relative size factor
Allotropic transformation
When metals solidify, they assume a crystalline structure; that
is, the atoms arrange themselves in a geometric lattice.
Many metals exist in only one lattice form. Some, however, can
exist in the solid state in two or more lattice forms, the particular
form depending on the conditions of temperature and pressure.
Such metals are said to be allotropic or polymorphic, and the
change from one lattice form to another is called an allotropic
transformation.
The most notable example of such a metal is iron, where the
allotropic change makes it possible for heat-treating procedures
to produce a wide range of final properties.
It is largely because of its allotropy that iron has become the
basis of our most important alloys.
IES 2010
An allotropic material has
(a) Fixed structure at all temperatures
(b) Atoms distributed in random pattern
(c)Different crystal structures at different
temperatures
(d) Fixed structure but random atom distribution
The End
The End