Heat Treatment
Heat Treatment involves subjecting a metallic material or component to a controlled thermal cycle. These treatments are designed to result in certain microstructural changes in the material, which in turn result in desirable mechanical and physical properties. These heat treatments can either be simple, relatively low temperature treatments to assist in obtaining high quality welds in the components and to relieve the stresses locked into the structure from previous forming or welding operations, or they can be complicated higher temperature treatments to give specific levels of mechanical properties after fabrication of the components is complete. |