In one technique, a rotating flame head is used for internal spin hardening of odd-shape parts that would

present handling problems if the parts themselves were rotated. Each part is positioned by a simple handling
device, and the flame head rotates inside the part.
In contrast to the progressive method, in which acetylene is usually used (because of its high flame
temperature and rapid heating rates), satisfactory results can be obtained in spin hardening with natural
gas, propane, or manufactured gas. The choice of gas depends on the shape, size, and composition of the
workpiece and on the depth of case required, as well as on the relative cost and availability of each gas.
A wide choice of quenchants also is possible in the spin hardening method. Because the flame is extinguished
or withdrawn before the part is quenched, any appropriate quenchant may be used for immersion quenching.
In spray quenching, the quenchant is usually water, a water-based liquid such as soluble oil, or a simulated oil
in the form of a polymer-base quenchant; air also has been used.

The combination progressive-spinning method (Fig. 3), as the name implies, combines the progressive and
spinning methods for hardening long parts such as shafts and rolls. The workpiece is rotated as in the
spinning method; but, in addition, the heating heads traverse the roll or shaft from one end to the other.
Only a narrow circumferential band is heated progressively as the flame head moves from one end of the
work to the other. The quench follows immediately behind the heating head, either as an integral part of the
head or as a separate quench ring.

Fig. 3 Combination progressive-spinning flame hardening

This method provides a means of hardening large surface areas with relatively low gas flows. Progressive-
spinning units designed to handle a broad range of diameters and lengths are available commercially.












Fuel Gases

Several different fuel gases are used in flame hardening. In selecting a fuel gas for a given application, the
required rate of heating and the cost of the gas must be considered, along with the initial cost of equipment
and maintenance costs.
Flame hardening does not alter the composition of the base metal if done properly. Carburizing, neutral, and
oxidizing flames can be used. Oxidizing flames have high oxygen ratios and can be detrimental because they
produce extremely hot temperatures that can cause decarburization and overheating. A carburizing flame
can prevent some decarburization but can also introduce unwanted carbon into the surface. For best results,
neutral or slightly carburizing flames should be used (Ref 1).
A comparison of the heating rates of fuel gases can be made when certain fundamental properties of usable
mixtures with oxygen are known. A parameter that correlates well with actual heating speed is combustion
intensity, or specific flame output. This is the product of the normal velocity of burning multiplied by the net
heating value of the mixture of oxygen and fuel gas. A knowledge of these two properties often permits the
selection of the most suitable fuel gas for a specific hardening speed and depth of case. The fuels of
greatest commercial interest are ranked by combustion intensity (at metallurgically suitable ratios of
mixture with oxygen) in the following order: acetylene, MAPP (methylacetylene propadiene), propane,
methane. Values of normal burning velocity and the heating values of metallurgically suitable mixtures are
listed in Table 1.

Table 1 Fuel gases used for flame hardening

(a) Product of normal velocity of burning multiplied by heating value of oxy-fuel gas mixture.
(b) Varies with heating value and composition
The time required for heat penetration is another good criterion for judging the heating qualities of a fuel
provided that all other variables remain constant. Figure 4 shows comparative heating times for stabilized
MAPP, acetylene, and propane, using an efficient coupling distance for each fuel. These curves show that a
greater depth of hardness can be obtained with MAPP in a shorter length of time (Ref 2).
Gas
Heating Valve
Flame Temperatur
Usual
ratio of
oxygen
to fuel
gas
Heating
Normal
velocity of
burning
Combustion
intensity
(a)

Usual
ratio
of air
to fuel
gas
with Air with Oksigen
MJ/m
3
Btu/ft
3

o
C
o
F
o
C
o
F MJ/m
3
Btu/ft
3
mm/s in/s
mm/s x
MJ/m
3

in./s
Btu/ft
3

Acetylene 53.4 1433 3105 5620 2325 4125 1.0 26.7 716 535 21 14,284 15,036 12
City gas
11.2-
33.5
300-
900
2540 4600 1985 3605
(b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (b) (b)
Natural gas 37.3 1000 2705 4900 1875 3405 1.75 13.6 364 280 11 3,808 4,004 9.0
Propane 93.9 2520 2635 4775 1925 3495 4.0 18.8 504 305 12 5,734 6,048 25.0
MAPP 90 2406 2977 5301 1760 3200 3.5 20.0 535 381 15 7,62 8,025 22

Fig. 4 Comparison of heating times for MAPP, acetylene, and propane. Flame velocity, 170 m/s (550 ft/s);
port size, No. 69 drill (0.74 mm, or 0.0292 in.); coupling distance, 9.5 mm ( 3/8 in.); material, 1036 steel.
Oxygento-fuel ratios: MAPP, 5.0; acetylene, 1.33; propane, 4.5
The ratio of oxygen to fuel is very important in obtaining maximum heating efficiency from the fuel.
However, oxygento-fuel ratios should not be confused with oxygen and fuel consumption rates, which vary
with flame velocity, port size, and heating time. Stoichiometrically, acetylene requires 2 mols of oxygen
per mol of gas for complete combustion, MAPP requires 4 mols, and propane requires 5 mols. With acetylene,
however, a range of only 1 to 1.5 volumes of oxygen is provided directly, with the remainder being drawn
from the surrounding atmosphere. Neither MAPP nor propane has sufficient heat for flame hardening unless
more oxygen is supplied, normally at a rate of four parts of oxygen per part of fuel. MAPP burns over a
rather wide range of oxygen-to-fuel ratios, however, and thus permits a wider range of heat output while
still providing high heat generation when necessary. The use of MAPP increases oxygen consumption, and fuel
is more expensive than oxygen.
Bulk systems of supply for oxygen and fuel gases greatly reduce their cost, but of greater importance is the
elimination of cylinder handling and of the residual losses usually attendant upon the use of gases in
cylinders. Bulk systems also provide a more nearly constant supply of gas at uniform pressure. A
disadvantage of acetylene is that it cannot be stored in bulk, thereby requiring manifolds of cylinders.

Depth of Heating. Shallow hardness patterns (less than 3.2 mm, or 0.125 in., deep) can be attained only with
oxy-gas fuels. The high-temperature flames obtained with oxy-gas fuels provide the fast heat transfer
necessary for effective localization of the heat pattern. Deeper hardness patterns permit the use of either
oxy-gas fuels or air-gas fuels. Oxy-gas fuels will localize the heat, but care is required in their application to
avoid overheating the surface during the development of the deeper-seated heat. Air-gas fuels, with their
slower rates of heat transfer (lower flame temperatures), minimize or eliminate surface overheating but
generally extend the heat pattern beyond the desired hardness pattern. For this reason, air-gas flame
hardening is generally limited to steels of shallow hardenability. In this manner, the hardness pattern is
controlled by the quench rather than by the heating. The deeper-seated heat produced by air-gas flames
may preclude the use of air-gas mixtures because excessive distortion may occur. In consideration of these
factors, the use of air-gas heating will depend primarily on the shape of the part insofar as the configuration
favors heat localization and a lower rate of heat transfer.