Heat treating is an industrial process that has revolutionized many aspects of engineering and manufacturing. This process makes it possible for manufacturers to alter the physical characteristics and chemical composition of metals in order to enhance their suitability for various functions and applications. There are many different kinds of heat treatment in Gastonia, NC that may be used, including heat treat stress relieving. This type of treatment relieves pressure that has built up in a metal component without altering the other characteristics of the part.
Stress relieving heat treatment
To understand stress reliving heat treatment in Gastonia, NC, you have to understand the kind of things that parts go through during the fabrication and manufacturing processes. Metal may go through a number of processes, including machining, forming, cutting, welding and fabrication, before it is heat treated. All of those various processes cause internal stresses to develop in the part. This stress makes the part more susceptible to distortions and cracking as a result of further forming and fabrication.
Stress relieving heat treatment helps relieve the built-up stress in the part so that it can be machined successfully. During stress relieving, the part is heated to 75° below the transformational temperature. For every inch of thickness, the part is held at this high temperature for one hour. It typically takes a whole day for the part to cool completely after stress relieving heat treatment. By the end of the stress relieving process, the whole part will have been heated to the desired temperature and up to 90 percent of the built-up stress will have been relieved.
Some heat treatments are unsuitable for various alloys, but virtually any alloy can be treated with stress relieving heat treatment. In most cases, stress relieving is done in air as opposed to other media. However, there are certain components that must be treated in some kind of protective media. When stress relieving is done in air, there can be some discoloration or scaling that has to be addressed with some cleaning post-treatment.
Regardless of how the treatment is done, it’s important to be aware of the risks involved. Any time a piece of metal is heated to high temperatures, there is a risk of distortion or sagging. By working with an experienced metallurgical company that understands the ins and outs of heat treatment in Gastonia, NC, you can ensure the best results for your components. Make sure to ask plenty of questions and get as much information as you can about a heat treatment process so that you know exactly what to expect.
Learn more about heat treatment in Gastonia, NC
At J. F. Heat Treating Inc., we specialize in providing heat treatment services for the manufacturing and fabrication industries. We are proud to be a family owned and operated company with decades of experience serving clients in and around Gastonia. We offer a wide range of services including aging, annealing, cleaning services, hardening, normalizing, peening, quenching and tempering. After nearly 38 years of business, we have developed exceptional heat treating techniques and dependable service that you can rely on. To find out more, give us a call today.