Sessi 10

Heat Treatment of Nonferrous

Alloys
and Stainless Steels
 Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Alloys
and Stainless Steels

• Nonferrous alloys and stainless steels cannot

be heat treated by the techniques used for
ferrous alloys
• Alloys do not undergo phase
transformations
• Heat-treatable structure are hardened and
strengthened by precipitation hardening
• Process where small particles of a different
phase (precipitates) are uniformly dispersed
in the matrix of the original phase
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd
 PRECIPITATION
• Particles impede dislocations.
HARDENING
• Ex: Al-Cu system
• Procedure:
--Pt A: solution heat treat
(get a solid solution)
--Pt B: quench to room temp.
--Pt C: reheat to nucleate
small q crystals within
a crystals.
• Other precipitation
systems: Adapted from Fig. 11.22, Callister 6e. (Fig. 11.22 adapted
• Cu-Be from J.L. Murray, International Metals Review 30, p.5, 1985.)

• Cu-Sn
• Mg-Al

Adapted from Fig.

11.20, Callister 6e.

16
fig_11_21
fig_11_24
fig_11_26
 PRECIPITATE
• 2014 Al Alloy:
EFFECT ON TS, %EL
• TS peaks with • %EL reaches minimum
precipitation time. with precipitation time.
• Increasing T accelerates
process.

Adapted from Fig. 11.25 (a) and (b), Callister 6e. (Fig. 11.25 adapted from Metals Handbook:
Properties and Selection: Nonferrous Alloys and Pure Metals, Vol. 2, 9th ed., H. Baker 17
(Managing Ed.), American Society for Metals, 1979. p. 41.)
 SIMULATION: DISLOCATION MOTION PEAK
AGED MATERIAL
• Peak-aged
--avg. particle size = 64b
--closer spaced particles
efficiently stop dislocations.

Simulation courtesy
of Volker Mohles,
Institut für Materialphysik der
Universitåt, Münster, Germany
(http://www.
uni-munster.de/physik
/MP/mohles/). Used with
permission.

18
 SIMULATION: DISLOCATION MOTION
OVERAGED MATERIAL
• Over-aged
--avg. particle size = 361b
--more widely spaced
particles not as effective.

Simulation courtesy
of Volker Mohles,
Institut für Materialphysik der
Universitåt, Münster, Germany
(http://www.
uni-munster.de/physik
/MP/mohles/). Used with
permission.

19
 Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Alloys
and Stainless Steels

• 3 stages are involved in precipitation

hardening

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd

 Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Alloys
and Stainless Steels: Solution Treatment

• In solution treatment, the alloy is heated to

within the solid-solution kappa phase and
then cooled rapidly by quenching

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd

 Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Alloys
and Stainless Steels: Precipitation Hardening

• Alloy is reheated to an intermediate

temperature for a period of time and
precipitation takes place
• Increase in strength is due to increased
resistance to dislocation movement in the
region of the precipitates

Aging
• Precipitation process it is also called aging,
• Property improvement is known as age
hardening
Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd
 Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Alloys
and Stainless Steels: Precipitation Hardening

Aging
• When carried out above room temperature,
it is called artificial aging
• Hardening of aluminum alloys over a period
of time at room temperature is called
natural aging
• Natural aging can be slowed by refrigerating
the quenched alloy (cryogenic treatment)

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd

 Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Alloys
and Stainless Steels: Precipitation Hardening

Aging
• An aged alloy can be used only up to a
certain maximum temperature in service
• But an over-aged part has better
dimensional stability

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd

 Heat Treatment of Nonferrous Alloys
and Stainless Steels: Precipitation Hardening

Maraging
• Maraging is a process where one or more
intermetallic compounds are precipitated in
a matrix of low-carbon martensite
• Hardening by maraging does not depend on
the cooling rate

Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education South Asia Pte Ltd