LJ INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND

TECHNOLOGY, AHMEDABAD.
SUBJECT: Material Science And Metallurgy
TOPIC: Heat Treatment
BRANCH: Mechanical
PREPARED BY: Patel Monik B.
(140320119097)
Shah Priya H.
(140320119149)
Avdhesh Singh
(140320119159)
Parwani Karan R. (140320119078)
Patel Tejas B.
(140320119111)
GUIDED BY: Mr. Sudeep Kolhar
Assistant Professor
Mechanical Engineering Department, L.J.I.E.T.

CONTENT

Introduction
Definition Of Heat Treatment
Fundamentals Of Heat treatment
Objectives Of Heat treatment
Transformation Products Of Austenite
Summary Of Transformation Products Of Austenite

INTRODUCTION

Heat treatment is a series of processes involving heating and cooling (in a

specified sequence) as applied to a material, so as to modify its internal
microstructure.
The extant of change required within the internal microstructure can be easily
controlled through variation in cycle time of the heat treatment.
The internal microstructure is influential in determining the physical,
mechanical and chemical properties of a material.

DEFINITION OF
HEAT TREATMENT

It is defined as heating and cooling of any material at a desired rate to

get solid to solid transformation without changing the existing composition of
material except the heat treatments like nitriding and carburizing in which the
chemical composition is changed on the surface.

FUNDAMENTALS
Fe-C equilibrium diagram. Isothermal and continuous cooling
transformation diagrams for plain carbon and alloy steels. Microstructure and
mechanical properties of pearlite, bainite and martensite. Austenitic grain size.
Hardenability, its measurement and control.

OBJECTIVES OF HEAT TREATMENT

The major objectives are
To increase strength, hardness and wear resistance (bulk
hardening, surface hardening)
To increase ductility and softness (tempering,
recrystallization annealing)
To increase toughness (tempering, recrystallization
annealing)
To obtain fine grain size (recrystallization annealing,
full annealing, normalising)

To remove internal stresses induced by differential deformation

by cold working, non-uniform cooling from high temperature
during casting and welding (stress relief annealing)
To improve electrical properties (recrystallization, tempering,
age hardening)
To improve magnetic properties (hardening, phase
transformation)

TRANSFORMATION PRODUCTS
OF AUSTENITE

In Iron-Iron Carbide equilibrium diagram Austenite is a metastable phase

which is existing above 1000 K.
It has been observed through Iron-Iron Carbide equilibrium diagram that
Austenite does not exist at room temperature.
It gets transformed into different phases based on the cooling rate.
Following are the transformations observed during its cooling:
(i) Austenite to pearlite
(ii) Austenite to bainite
(iii) Austenite to martensite

TRANFORMATION OF AUSTENITE
TO PEARLITE

Austenite to pearlite transformation is shown in this fig.

THE MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF PEARLITE

TRANSFORMATION ARE:
(I) ITS A DIFFUSION TRANSFORMATION.
(II) ITS TIME AND TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT.

100% resolved pearlite

TRANSFORMATION OF AUSTENITE
TO BAINITE

If the tranasformation of Austenite is

allow to take place below 823 K it
results in non-lamellar structure called
as Bainite.
If the austenite is rapidly cooled below
823 K and held isothermally, the
morphology formed is not lameller but
needle like. This is referred to as
Bainite.
Transformation of austenite to bainite
is shown in the fig.

CHARACTERISTICS OF BAINITIC TRANSFORMATION:

(I) ITS A DIFFUSION TRANSFORMATION.
(II) ITS TIME AND TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT.
(III) BAINITE IS TRANSFERRED ONLY BY INTERRUPTED
COOLING.

Microstructure of bainite (5000 X)

TRANSFORMATION OF AUSTENITE
TO MARTENSITE

If the austenite is cooled at a very fast

rate, i.e. automatically, the
morphology formed is known as
martensite.
This microstructure appears like a rod
/ niddle type is referred as martensite.
In the case of martensite
transformation being a fast cooling
rate carbon item will get and
entrapped within the unit cell leads to
the formation of martensitic structure.

MAARTENSITE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

SUMMARY OF TRANSFORMATION
PRODUCTS
OF
AUSTENITE
Pearlite
Bainite
Initiation

Martensite

It starts by nucleation
cementite.

It starts by nucleation of
ferrite.

It occurs by a shear
mechanism and proceeds
rapidly.

It grows as platelets in edgewise pattern.

It grows as platelets in edgewise pattern.

It occurs instantly as
diffusionless transformation.

Consumption of carbon by
cementite leads to formation
of ferrite.

Growth of ferrite leads to

precipitation of carbon which
then forms cementite.

It occurs without any change

in carbon percentage.

Micro-structure

It is lamellar containing
alternate layers of ferrite and
cementite.

It has a feathery and needlelike appearance.

It has strip (rod) like

appearance.

Growth pattern

Nucleation continues to form

colonies.

Nucleation continues in the

form of niddles.

The microstructure starts as

strip-like and forms needlelike structure.

Transformation
Temperature
For 0.8%C

It is the range of 1000 to 823

K.

It is the range of 823 to 573 K. It occurs below 473 K.

Growth of
transformation

REFERENCES

A Text Book Of Material Science And Metallurgy

-O. P. Khanna
http://metals.about.com/od/metallurgy/g/Heat-Treatment.htm