Types of Steel & Their Treatments

TYPE OF STEEL

DESIGNATI PROCESS
ON
CARRIED OUT

PRINCIPLE FOR
PROCESS

REASON FOR
PROCESS SLECTION

TO INCRESE WEAR
RESISTANCE AT
SURFACE , LOW
CARBON USED
CARBON
BECAUSE OF EASE
SAE
DIFFUSED
OF MACHINING
LOW CARBON LOW 8620/86
FROM
COULD BE
ALLOY STEEL
22
CARBURIZING ATMOSPHERE ATTAINED
LESS MACHINING
AND SHALLOW
CASE DEPTH
REQUIRED ,
MILD CARBON
SAE
INDUCTION
USES OWN
HIGHLY WEAR
STEEL
1045
HARDENING CARBON
RESISTANT PARTS
LESS CASE DEPTH,
USED AT HIGH
TEMPERATURES SO
THEIR HARDNESS/
WEAR RESISTANCE
REQUIRES
COULD NOT DROP,
HIGH STRENGTH
SAE
BASE
LESS RESIDUAL

OBJECTIVE OF HEAT
TREATMENT
Heat treatment is done by heating or
cooling the material to impart certain
set of properties i.e., softening,
hardening.

ANNEALING
Heating of the steel to 850C for about
2 hours.
Then switch off the furnace and allow
the parts to cool down with furnace.
PURPOSE:
To induce softness.
For high carbon steel improves
machinability especially castings.

NORMALIZING
Heating of steel above 850C
Holding the part for 2 hours
Then parts taken out of the furnace
Cooling in the still air or by air blaster
PURPOSE:
To improves machinability of 8620 and 4140
To remove residual stresses after the
forging.
To refine the grain size

NORMALIZING
TEMPERATURES
NORMALIZNG
TYPE OF STEEL DESIGNATION TEMPERATURE
LOW CARBON
LOW ALLOY
STEEL
MILD CARBON
STEEL
HIGH TRENGTH
LOW ALLOY
STEEL

SAE 8620/8622 925 C

SAE 1045

860 C

SAE 4140

870C

APPLICATIONS OF NORMALIZING
IN MEL
By normalizing we achieve desire
hardness 150-225 HB.
We achieve required grain size 5-8.
We improve machinability.
Remove residual stresses induced
during forging operation.

CARBURIZING
Low carbon steel are carburized because of low carbon
content initially.
In carburizing parts are:
Heated to 920C
Methane gas is used for diffusing the carbon into the parts.
Parts are held in to the methane enriched atmosphere
depending upon the case depth of the component required.
Then parts are taken to 800 C for the process of hardening
for about 1.5 hours.
Then parts are quenched into hot oil to obtain hard outer
hard surface and tougher core.
Quenching:
Rapid Cooling of parts from 800C to temp of hot oil. It is
done to get hard surface and desired microstructure at
surface.

REQUIREMENTS OF
CASE DEPTH: CARBURIZING
Depth up to which the part has hardness of 50 HRC.
In MEL CW/P ECD is about 1.27 mm to 2.00 mm.
For other gear and shafts ranging from 0.6-1.4 mm.
Hardness at surface:
Ability to resist indentation, scratch and wear is known as
hardness.
In MEL hardness after carburizing is 58-63 HRC & 54-59 HRC.
Toughness of core:
Combination of strength and ductility is known as toughness.
Core needs to be tough especially in case of shafts and
pinion in order to facilitate straightening operation and in
service to absorb the load.

TEMPERING
Tempering is done at 120-250 C for
1-2.5 hours.
Purpose:
To improve ductility & toughness
To relieve quenching stresses and
machining stresses.
To impart dimensional stability.
To reduce hardness.

INDUCTION HARDENING
Induction hardening is done for medium
carbon steel such as SAE 1045
In induction hardening parts utilizes its own
carbon content
In induction hardening parts are heated to
approximately 850C.
The quenched in water, by quenching carbon
at surface does not find any time for diffusing
and remains at surface so carbon enriched
surface results for increasing hardness.

Requirements
Hardness:
Hardness ranges from 58-62 HRC.
ECD:
For shafts 2.5-5.1 mm
For 12149 0.8-2.4 mm
For 103346 7.8 (maX)

Nitriding
Nitriding is done for SAE4140.
Ammonia gas is used for nitriding it
diffuses in parts at 500C.
Ammonia gas dissociates at 500 C into
nitrogen and hydrogen.
Nitrogen gas is utilized for nitriding
process time is about 33 hours.
Cooling takes place in furnace and usually
takes about 7 hours.

Requirements After Nitriding

Hardness:
500 HV minimum
Nitrided compound
0.2 mm at 400 HV
White layer:
0.013 mm maximum

Alloy

It is mixture of more than one elements

in which one most be metal. e.g brass,
bronze, steel.
Plain carbon steel:
Steel in which major alloying element is
carbon with iron. e.g, 1045, 1020.
Application in MEL:
Bars for shafts which are induction hard are
made from 1045.

Low alloy steel

Steel in which other alloying elements
such as Mn, Ni, Cr, Mo, Si Are added in Fe.
Examples are 8620,8622,4140,9310,5145
Application in MEL:
Spur gears, shafts, pinion are made from
8620/8622 .