Heat treatment is one of the primary value-added services the supplier offers for steel forgings. Forging heat treatment is a kind of post-treatment that alters the mechanical characteristics of goods to improve their operating performance. Following forging, all steel forgings may be heat treated.

Upon closed die forging, heat treatment plays a key role in creating desirable qualities such as stress relief, grain structure refinement, and better physical and mechanical characteristics. A provider offers forgings in annealed, normalised, spheroids, process annealed, tempered, or complete annealed conditions for machinability.

Moreover, the steel forgings may be tempered and quenched to acquire the necessary final characteristics. Below, we’ll talk about some of the most prevalent forging heat treatment methods and their benefits.

What Is Heat Treatment?

Not all aluminium alloys are suitable for heat treatment, but those that are may be handled in a variety of ways. A supplier with a qualified team employs specialist equipment to provide the strict heat control required for excellent outcomes with aluminium alloys.

Heat Treatment Methods

The following is a list of some of the most common forging heat treatment processes:

Normalising

It involves heating the forging to a certain temperature, after which it is allowed to cool in an atmosphere containing no movement. The end result is that adaptability has been restored. Forgings that have been normalised instead of fully annealed are sold at a lower price because fully annealing requires furnace-controlled cooling.

Process Annealing

Forgings made of low-carbon steel may use this material. After being heated to a temperature lower than that used in full normalising or annealing, the forging is allowed to cool in the air that is completely still. This results in a change to the grain size as well as the flow of the forging.

Full Annealing

The flexibility of the metal is brought back by forging to ensure that the forging maintains a consistent level of softness throughout its whole. It must first be heated to a specific temperature and then cooled within a furnace at predetermined intervals.

Tempering And Quenching

After the metal forging has been cooled, it is reheated at a temperature ranging from 400 to 600°C. The tempering process creates a forging with the ideal combination of adaptability and strength for its intended use.

Spheroidizing

Forgings made of high-carbon steel, alloy, and tool steel are all mainly due to this material. Spheroids are formed everywhere throughout the structure of the forging throughout the procedure, increasing machinability.

In addition, the two forms of heat treatment used most often are tempering and quenching. They can efficiently enhance the hardness of steel forgings, adding strength for improved resistance to wear at a cheap cost.

Benefits of Heat Treatment In Many Industries

The need for forging heat treatment is increasing rapidly. Forged goods for the marine, defence and aerospace sectors range from pistons and gears to wheel spindles.

Moreover, heat-treated forgings are appropriate for a wide range of industrial applications because they provide a robust yet lightweight metal for energy and speed economy. Manufacturers need these characteristics to manufacture high-quality goods, and heat-treated aluminium allows them to do it more economically.

Other benefits may include:

  • Design flexibility
  • Good strength-to-weight ratio
  • Cryogenic properties
  • Low density and lightweight
  • High thermal conductivity
  • Good surface finish
  • Corrosion resistant

The Heat Treating Value

Heat treatment adds around $15 billion in value to metal products annually by imparting qualities essential for components to work properly.

It is inextricably tied to the production of steel products: about 80% of heat-treated components are composed of steel. Steel mill output like tube and bar, as well as pieces, welded, forged, cast, stamped, drawn, machines, drawn, or rolled, fall into this category.

It is also a critical stage in the manufacturing of nonferrous goods. Heat treatment of aluminium alloy car castings, for instance, increases strength and hardness; heat treatment of brass and bronze items increases strength and prevents cracking; heat treatment of titanium alloy structures improves strength at high temperatures.

Forging heat treatment is the process of modifying the characteristics of steel forgings such as alloy steel by heating. It is used at high and low temperatures to soften, harden or adjust various aspects of materials with varied crystal structures.

The kind of transition is determined by the temperature at which the material is heated, the rate at which it is heated, the length of time it is heated, the temperature at which it is initially cooled, and the rate at which it is cooled.

Furthermore, the two major methods for softening a metal to recover its adaptability are annealing, in which the heating is slowly increased and kept for some time. It is then gently cooled and tempered, in which the heat is gently elevated in an oil bath and held for some time.

Aside from heat treatment, your supplier may also provide in-house tooling, surface coating, and machining. Contact your supplier if your steel forging requires heat treatment and forging testing. They are capable of supporting your products.