Heat Treatment

for steels

Growth and structure of pearlite

Controlling the Eutectoid Reaction

TTT diagram - The time-temperature-transformation diagram

describes the time required at any temperature for a phase
transformation to begin and end.
Isothermal transformation - When the amount of a
transformation at a particular temperature depends on the time
permitted for the transformation.

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a

trademark used herein under license.

The effect of the austenite transformation temperature on the

interlamellar spacing of pearlite.

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

The time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram for an eutectoid steel.

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

Example
Excellent combinations of hardness, strength, and toughness
are obtained from bainite. One heat treatment facility
austenitized an eutectoid steel at 750oC, quenched and held
the steel at 250oC for 15 min, and finally permitted the steel
to cool to room temperature. Was the required bainitic
structure produced?

The Martensitic Reaction and Tempering

Martensite - A metastable phase formed in steel and

other materials by a diffusionless, athermal
transformation.
Tempering - A low-temperature heat treatment used to
reduce the hardness of martensite by permitting the
martensite to begin to decompose to the equilibrium
phases.

(a) The unit cell of BCT martensite is related to the FCC austenite unit cell.

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

Simple Heat Treatments

Process Annealing Eliminating Cold Work: A lowtemperature heat treatment used to eliminate all or part
of the effect of cold working in steels.
Annealing and Normalizing Dispersion Strengthening:
Annealing - A heat treatment used to produce a soft,
coarse pearlite in steel by austenitizing, then furnace
cooling.
Normalizing - A simple heat treatment obtained by
austenitizing and air cooling to produce a fine pearlitic
structure.
Spheroidizing Improving Machinability: Spheroidite - A
microconstituent containing coarse spheroidal cementite
particles in a matrix of ferrite, permitting excellent
machining characteristics in high-carbon steels.

Simple heat treatments

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

2003 Brooks/Cole, a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Thomson Learning is a trademark used herein under license.

The effect of carbon and heat treatment on the properties of plain-carbon

steels.

Determination of Heat Treating Temperatures