Heat treatment, annealing, quenching and hardening

What is heat treatment annealing and hardening treatment

Before the invention of modern metal processing technology, blacksmiths used heat to make metal available. Once the metal formed the required shape, the heated metal was rapidly cooled, and the rapid cooling made the metal harder and more brittle.

What is heat treatment? Heat treatment is the process of heating and cooling a metal to change its microstructure and show more satisfactory physical and mechanical properties. When the temperature metal is heated to, the cooling rate after heat treatment can significantly change the performance of the metal. The common causes of metal heat treatment are to improve its strength, hardness, toughness, ductility and corrosion resistance. Learn more about this process with the following common heat treatment examples.

What is annealing? Annealing is a form of heat treatment which makes the metal closer to its equilibrium state. Annealing softens the metal, makes it more feasible, and provides greater expansibility. In this process, the metal is heated above its critical temperature to change its microstructure; after that, the metal cools slowly.

What is hardening treatment? It is cheaper than annealing. Quenching is a kind of heat treatment method. When the temperature is higher than the critical temperature, the metal can quickly return to room temperature. The quenching process prevents the cooling process from changing the microstructure of the metal; it can be quenched with water, oil and other media to harden the steel at the same temperature as the full annealing.

Learn More: Vacuum Heat Treatment Furnace