How much do you know about heat treatment in Gastonia, NC? If you’re like most people, your answer is: not much. You probably didn’t know that this method was used to treat many of the products and structures that surround you every day. This treatment uses hot and cold temperatures to transform metal and make it hard or soft so it can be shaped and strengthened for a wide range of purposes.
Here are seven other things you probably don’t know about the various methods of heat treatment in Gastonia, NC:
- Case hardening diffuses the metal with carbon: The process of case hardening involves diffusing the material with gas nitride or carbonitride. Metal workers harden the surface of the metal and make it corrosion resistant. This process is cost-effective and allows for shorter processing cycles.
- Quenching heat treatment enhances durability: Using this method, the metal is heated and then quickly cooled using water, gas or oil. The cooling agent is chosen based on the desired outcome or hardness level. After quenching is complete, the metal is stressed, tempered or aged as desired to increase stability.
- Tempering reduces brittleness: This method of heat treatment in Gastonia, NC reduces hardness and improves ductility. As a result, the metal is more useful for a variety of applications. To temper a metal, it is heated to just below transformation temperature and then cooled.
- Cryogenic hardening involves temperatures of -300°F: Maybe you’ve heard of cryogenics in relation to sci-fi movies or innovative medical treatments. The method of using liquid nitrogen for freezing is also used in metal treatments. Cryogenic hardening takes metals to temperatures around -300°F to reduce thermal stress. Metals that have undergone this treatment are also corrosion resistant.
- Annealing alters microstructure: This may also sound like something out of a fantasy film, but it’s actually quite simple. Annealing makes metal flexible by heating it and then slowly cooling it. This process changes the microstructure of the metal, improving its conductivity. It also makes the metal more supple, so it can be shaped into the desired product.
- Metallurgy is a science: It’s not as widely known as biology or physics, but metallurgy is a scientific study that is involved in a wide range of everyday processes. Metallurgy is the science and engineering of metallic elements and the study of their compounds and mixtures.
- Heat treatment in Gastonia, NC occurs in a metallurgical lab: The best place to accomplish each of these heating methods is in a metallurgical lab. One of the premier metallurgical labs in North Carolina can be found in Gastonia, at the facilities of J. F. Heat Treating Inc.
Would you like to learn more about heat treatment in Gastonia, NC? Contact the experts at J. F. Heat Treating Inc. We specialize in the thorough hardening and carbonizing of various steel products in a metallurgical lab. It is our privilege to service and work with the manufacturing and fabrication industries of Gastonia to provide the best products and services in the industry.