annealing
A generic term denoting a treatment consisting of heating to and holding at a suitable temperature followed by cooling at a suitable rate, used primarily to soften metallic materials, but also to simultaneously produce desired changes in other properties or in microstructure. The purpose of such changes may be, but is not confined to: improvement of machinability, facilitation of cold work, improvement of mechanical or electrical properties, and/or increase in stability of dimensions. When the term is used unqualifiedly, full annealing is implied. When applied only for the relief of stress, the process is properly called stress relieving or stress-relief annealing.
In ferrous alloys, annealing usually is done above the upper critical temperature, but the time-temperature cycles vary widely both in maximum temperature attained and in cooling rate employed, depending on composition, material condition, and results desired. When applicable, the following commercial process names should be used: black annealing, blue annealing, box annealing, bright annealing, cycle annealing, flame annealing, full annealing, graphitizing, in-process annealing, isothermal annealing, malleabilizing, orientation annealing, process annealing, quench annealing, spheroidizing, subcritical annealing.
In nonferrous alloys, annealing cycles are designed to: (a) remove part or all of the effects of cold working (recrystallization may or may not be involved); (b) cause substantially complete coalescence of precipitates from solid solution in relatively coarse form; or (c) both, depending on composition and material condition. Specific process names in commercial use are final annealing, full annealing, intermediate annealing, partial annealing, recrystallization annealing, stress-relief annealing, anneal to temper.
hardening
Increasing hardness of metals by suitable treatment, usually involving heating and cooling. When applicable, the following, more specific terms should be used: age hardening , case hardening , flame hardening , induction hardening , precipitation hardening , and quench hardening.
temper
(1) In heat treatment, reheating hardened steel or hardened cast iron to some temperature below the eutectoid temperature for the purpose of decreasing hardness and increasing toughness. The process also is sometimes applied to normalized steel. (2) In tool steels, temper is sometimes used, but inadvisedly, to denote the carbon content. (3) In nonferrous alloys and in some ferrous alloys (steels that cannot be hardened by heat treatment), the hardness and strength produced by mechanical or thermal treatment, or both, and characterized by a certain structure, mechanical properties, or reduction in area during cold working. (4) To moisten green sand for casting molds with water.
temper embrittlement
Embrittlement of low-alloy steels caused by holding within or cooling slowly through a temperature range (generally 300 to 600 °C, or 570 to 1110 °F) just below the transformation range. Embrittlement is the result of the segregation at grain boundaries of impurities such as arsenic, antimony, phosphorus, and tin; it is usually manifested as an upward shift in ductile-to-brittle transition temperature. Temper embrittlement can be reversed by retempering above the critical temperature range, then cooling rapidly. Compare with tempered martensite embrittlement.
heat treatment
Heating and cooling a solid metal or alloy in such a way as to obtain desired conditions or properties. Heating for the sole purpose of hot working is excluded from the meaning of this definition.
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