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8 Reasons Steel Parts Can Warp in Heat Treat - Speaking of Precision Blog PDF
8 Reasons Steel Parts Can Warp in Heat Treat - Speaking of Precision Blog PDF
8 Reasons Steel Parts Can Warp in Heat Treat
And how to minimize them.
Upon heating, steel parts change volume as they change crystal structure (I’ll spare you the technical
terms and details). When these heated parts are quenched, their internal crystal structure changes again,
and that volume change is not necessarily sufficient to offset the change upon heating. This change
of volume can cause dimensional distortion. The rule of thumb that I have used for medium carbon
alloy steels is to expect a change in linear dimensions of about 0.125% maximum. That is, one eighth of a
percent of the linear dimensions could be the change encountered from heat treatment and quench. It
generally is less, but 0.125% gives me a rule of thumb to evaluate capability to hold dimensions after
heat treat. What rule of thumb do you use to estimate part growth as a result of heat treat?
Warpage or shape distortion as a result of heat treat is different because it is usually a result of process and
design issues rather than the expected phase changes of the material.
Here are 8 reasons steel parts can warp upon quench and
tempering:
1. Rapid heating.
2. Overheating.
3. Non‑uniform heating.
4. Non‑uniform cooling.
5. Non‑uniform agitation.
6. Water contamination in oil.
7. Large changes of mass and section.
8. Asymmetric features.
Rapid heating can cause stresses to develop in parts due to
excessive temperature gradients. Overheating similarly lowers
mechanical properties, potentially leading to parts sagging or
creeping depending on orientation in the furnace. Non‑uniform
heating also creates differences in properties within the parts as
well as leading to incomplete transformation products or hybrid
structures upon quenching. Non‑uniform cooling allows
unbalanced stresses to develop during the quench, as does non‑
uniform agitation of quench medium. Often non‑uniform
Salvador Dali understood!
heating or cooling result from the way parts are stacked or piled
in the basket or on the belt such that gradients of temperture are
created. Water contamination in oil. This is difficult to figure out, but in addition to warped parts,
inconsistent hardness readings between parts or on the same part are a sign of this. Parts with large
section changes or that have asymmetric features are also more likely to warp than parts with balanced and
uniformly distributed mass, regardless of process control.
Choosing steels with higher hardenability (alloys rather than plain carbon steels), finer grain size, and
Choosing steels with higher hardenability (alloys rather than plain carbon steels), finer grain size, and
paying a ention to the details of loading, time at temperature, and quenchant delivery are all steps that
can minimize warpage distortion, even when part design is less than optimum.
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 20th, 2009 at 5:55 am and is filed under Engineering, Shop
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5 Responses to 8 Reasons Steel Parts Can Warp in Heat Treat
Dennis Johnson says:
October 22, 2009 at 9:20 am
Very informative information for material distributors and machine shops who get in the middle of a
“heat treating ” issue due to cracks or hardness irregularities.Thank you for publishing this
information.
Reply
speakingofprecision says:
October 22, 2009 at 11:28 am
You’re welcome Dennis!
Reply
Jacob Woo says:
January 3, 2010 at 7:38 am
Thanks. I find it pre y useful. However, I would like to know if heavy machining of parts even
before heat treatment would result in greater warpage?
Is it possible that stress relief be effective in removing the machining induce warpage? How effective
would that be?
Reply
Reply
speakingofprecision says:
January 4, 2010 at 1:44 pm
Yes, heavy stock removal, especially if assymetric, can allow stresses already in the material to
distort the parts. This can then be compounded by heat treatment. Stress relief prior to machining
can help miinimize this.
You might find our post on reducing stress helpful:
h ps://pmpaspeakingofprecision.com/2009/10/06/5‑ideas‑to‑reduce‑stress‑in‑precision‑machined‑
parts/
Reply
shashi says:
August 11, 2016 at 10:49 am
i have running material DF2 oil quenching and my se ing temperature is 800…holding time for
40seconds ans 40min to quenching oil..but my material ge ing high hardness like 58‑60….is that
possible to get 55‑58 and also most the part ge ing warping….how to solve the problem here any
help to guide me…thanks for grateful help n keep in touch
from shashi.penang(malaysia)
Reply
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