HEAT TREATMENT
FORGING
Commence at 1050oC. Re-heat as necessary to avoid working below 850oC.
ANNEALING
Heat slowly and uniformly to 780oC. Cool in still air.
STRESS RELIEVING
Heat uniformly to 650oC max. Allow to equalise and remove from furnace. Cool in still
air.
HARDENING & TEMPERING
Thoroughly warm Tools or Components before charging
HEATING & SOAKING
Heat slowly and uniformly to 1020oC. Allow to equalise and soak for a few minutes.
QUENCHING
Quench in salt at 520oC. Where a slightly lower hardness is acceptable, this steel may be
air-cooled. An oil quench will provide a higher hardness but should be used only as a last
resort and never where there are sudden changes in section which could lead to cracking.
TEMPERING
A first temper at 180oC should be given soaking at temperature for 1 hour per inch of
ruling section or 2 hours whichever is longer followed by cooling to room temperature. A
second temper should be given according to the tempering graph. Tempering above 400oC
should be avoided as some reduction of toughness and corrosion resistance may result.
This steel should respond to hardening by the Vacuum furnace, gas quench
process. |