Heat Treating

Heat treating involves heating steel to high temperatures in a furnace to cause microscopic metallurgical changes that influence steel properties.

Common stainless steel heat treating processes include:

• Annealing
• Quench (harden) and temper
• Solution treatment
• Aging or precipitation hardening

Annealing

• Purpose: reduce strength to lowest level possible and increase elongation and ductility to highest level possible.
• Can be used with all alloys after hot rolling and after cold working

Quench and temper

• Purpose: increase strength and hardness of martensitic alloys

Solution treatment

• Purpose: Cause metallurgical changes that affect corrosion resistance and subsequent heat treatment.
• Used with PH alloys and alloys that are susceptible to certain types of corrosion

Aging or precipitation hardening treatment

• Purpose: Increase strength and hardness of PH alloys
• Strength and hardness increases as aging temperature decreases.
• Use with PH alloys that have been solution treated