TEMPERING

Sutarsis, ST., MSc., Ph.D

Tempering of Steel
• A process in which previously hardened or normalized
steel is usually heated to a temperature below the lower
critical temperature and cooled at a suitable rate,
primarily to increase ductility and toughness, but also to
increase the grain size of the matrix.

• Steels are tempered by reheating after hardening to obtain

specific values of mechanical properties and also to relieve
quenching stresses and to ensure dimensional stability
Variable of Tempering

✓ Tempering temperature
✓ Time at temperature
✓ Cooling rate from the tempering temperature
✓ Composition of the steel, including carbon
content, alloy content, and residual elements
 Stages of Tempering
• Stage I: The formation of transition carbides and lowering of
the carbon content of the martensite to 0.25% (100 to 250 °C,
or 210 to 480 °F)
• Stage II: The transformation of retained austenite to ferrite
and cementite (200 to 300 °C, or 390 to 570 °F)
• Stage III: The replacement of transition carbides and low-
temperature martensite by cementite and ferrite (250 to 350
°C, or 480 to 660 °F)
• Stage IV: precipitation of finely dispersed alloy carbides, exists
for high-alloy steels
Effect of Tempering
Effect of Tempering

Effect of tempering temperature on

the mechanical properties of oil-
quenched 4340 steel bar.
 Effect of Tempering

Notch toughness as a function of tempering temperature for

4140 (UNS G41400) ultrahigh-strength steel tempered 1 h
 Effect of Tempering

Effect of time at four tempering temperatures on room-temperature

hardness of quenched 0.82% C steel.
Tempering: Efek %C

Influence of tempering temperature on room-temperature

hardness of quenched carbon steels
 Tempering: Efek %C

Relationship between carbon content and room temperature

hardness for steels comprising 99.9% untempered martensite
Tempering: Efek %C

Effect of tempering time at six temperatures on room-

temperature hardness of carbon-molybdenum steels with
different carbon contents but with prior martensitic
structures
 Tempering: Efek %C

Effect of carbon content and tempering temperature on room-

temperature hardness of three molybdenum steels. Tempering
time: 1 h at temperature
Tempering: Efek unsur paduan
 Tempering: Efek unsur paduan

Effect of seven elements (chromium, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, phosphorus, silicon,

and vanadium) on the hardness of martensite tempered in 55 °C (100 °F) increments ranging
from 205 to 705 °C (400 to 1300 °F), each for a 1-h duration. Note that manganese,
molybdenum, and phosphorus have no effect on hardness at 205 °C (400 °F).
• The main purpose of adding alloying elements to steel is to increase
the hardenability, that is, the capability of the steel to form martensite
upon quenching from above its critical temperature.
• The general effect of alloying elements on tempering is a retardation
of the rate of softening, especially at the higher tempering
temperatures.
• Alloying elements can be characterized as carbide forming or non-
carbide forming.
• Elements such as Ni, Si, Al, and Mn, which have little or no tendency
to occur in the carbide phase, remain essentially in solution in the
ferrite and have only a minor effect on tempered hardness.
• Hardening due to the presence of these elements occurs mainly through
solid-solution hardening of the ferrite or matrix grain size control.
• The carbide forming elements (Cr, Mo, W, Ta, Nb, and Ti) retard the
softening process by the formation of alloy carbides.
• The effect of the carbide-forming elements is minimal at low tempering
temperatures where Fe3C forms; however, at higher temperatures,
alloy carbides are formed, and hardness decreases slowly with
tempering temperature.
• Strong carbide-forming elements such as
chromium, molybdenum, and vanadium are most
effective in increasing hardness at higher
temperatures above 205 °C (400 °F).
• Silicon was found to be most effective in increasing
hardness at 315 °C (600 °F). The increase in
hardness caused by phosphorus, nickel, and silicon
can be attributed to solid-solution strengthening.
• Manganese is more effective in increasing hardness
at higher tempering temperatures.
• The carbide-forming elements retard coalescence
of cementite during tempering and form numerous
small carbide particles. Under certain conditions,
such as with highly alloyed steels, hardness may
actually increase. This effect, mentioned previously,
is known as secondary hardening
Tempering: Efek unsur paduan

As the alloy content increases,

the magnitude of the
secondary-hardening effect
increases

Influence of molybdenum content on the softening of quenched 0.35% C

steels with increasing tempering temperature
Tempering: Efek unsur paduan

Influence of molybdenum content on the softening of quenched 0.35% C

steels with increasing tempering temperature
 Tempering: Efek unsur paduan

Variation of room-temperature hardness with tempering

temperature for H11 steel. All specimens air cooled from 1010 °C
(1850 °F) and double tempered 2 h plus 2 h at temperature
Tempering of Carburized
Components
Tempering of
Nonmartensitic Structures
• The tempering of microstructures other than
martensite and retained austenite also represents
special applications of tempering.
• Reactions of structures containing substantial amounts
of lower bainite are relatively similar to that of
martensite in terms of the phenomena associated with
carbide growth and coalescence.
• Upper bainite and fine pearlite formed by controlled or
relatively slow cooling simply respond by carbide
growth and eventual ferrite recrystallization.
• The softening associated with tempering in such
instances is shown in Fig. 19. Impact properties of
normalized and tempered and hardened and tempered
structures at nearly equal hardnesses are shown in Fig.
20.
Tempering of
Nonmartensitic Structures
Martempering of Steel
Purposes:
• to delay the cooling just above the martensitic
transformation for a length of time to equalize the
temperature throughout the piece. This will
minimize the distortion, cracking, and residual
stress.
• The microstructure after martempering is
essentially primary martensitic that is untempered
and brittle.
 Martempering of Steel
an interrupted quench from the austenitizing temperature of
certain alloy, cast, tool, and stainless steels.
Martempering of steel (and of cast iron) consists of:
❖Quenching from the austenitizing temperature into
a hot fluid medium (hot oil, molten salt, molten
metal, or a fluidized particle bed) at a temperature
usually above the martensite range (Ms point)
❖Holding in the quenching medium until the
temperature throughout the steel is substantially
uniform
❖Cooling (usually in air) at a moderate rate to
prevent large differences in temperature between
the outside and the center of the section
 Martempering of Steel

Time temperature transformation diagrams with superimposed

cooling curves showing quenching and tempering. (a) Conventional
process. (b) Martempering. (c) Modified martempering
Martempering Media

• Molten salt and hot oil are both widely used for
martempering.
• Several factors must be considered when choosing
between salt and oil. Operating temperature is the
most common deciding factor. Oils are widely used
for martempering at up to 205 °C (400 °F) and
sometimes at temperatures as high as 230 °C (450
°F). Molten salt is used for martempering in the
range of 160 to 400 °C (320 to 750 °F)
Martempering Media
Temperature ranges of
martensite formation
Temperature ranges of
martensite formation
Suitability of Steels for
Martempering
 Austempering of Steel
The isothermal transformation of a ferrous alloy at a
temperature below that of pearlite formation and
above that of martensite formation.
Advantages:
✓ Increased ductility, toughness, and strength at a given
hardness Reduced distortion, which lessens subsequent
machining time, stock removal, sorting, inspection, and
scrap
✓ The shortest overall time cycle to through-harden within the
hardness range of 35 to 55 HRC, with resulting savings in
energy and capital investment
Austempering of Steel
Process

• Heated to a temperature within the austenitizing

range, usually 790 to 915 °C (1450 to 1675 °F) ·
Quenched in a bath maintained at a constant
temperature, usually in the range of 260 to 400 °C
(500 to 750 °F) · Allowed to transform isothermally
to bainite in this bath · Cooled to room
temperature
 Austempering of Steel

For true austempering, the metal must be cooled from the

austenitizing temperature to the temperature of the
austempering bath fast enough so that no transformation of
austenite occurs during cooling, and then held at bath
temperature long enough to ensure complete transformation of
austenite to bainite.
Quenching Media for
Austempering
Molten salt is the quenching medium most commonly used in
austempering because:
✓ It transfers heat rapidly
✓ It virtually eliminates the problem of a vapor phase barrier
during the initial stage of quenching
✓ Its viscosity is uniform over a wide range of temperature
✓ Its viscosity is low at austempering temperatures (near that
of water at room temperature), thus minimizing dragout
losses
✓ It remains stable at operating temperatures and is
completely soluble in water, thus facilitating subsequent
cleaning operations
✓ The salt can be easily recovered from wash waters by
evaporative methods
Steels for Austempering
The selection of steel for austempering must be based on
transformation characteristics as indicated in time-temperature
transformation (TTT) diagrams.

Three important considerations are:

✓ The location of the nose of the TTT curve and the speed of the
quench being utilized
✓ The time required for complete transformation of austenite to
bainite at the austempering temperature
✓ The location of the Ms point
Steels for Austempering
Steels adaptable to austempering include:
➢ Plain carbon steels containing 0.50 to 1.00% C and a
minimum of 0.60% Mn
➢ High-carbon steels containing more than 0.90% C and,
possibly, a little less than 0.60% Mn
➢ Certain carbon steels (such as 1041) with a carbon content
of less than 0.50% but with manganese content in the range
from 1.00 to 1.65%
➢ Certain low-alloy steels (such as the series 5100 steels)
containing more than 0.30% C; the series 1300 to 4000
steels with carbon contents in excess of 0.40%; and other
steels, such as 4140, 6145, and 9440
Steels for Austempering
Steels for Austempering
The chemical composition of the steel is the major determinant
of the martensite-start (Ms) temperature.

The approximate Ms temperature, in degrees Centigrade, of a

completely austenitized steel can be calculated by means of the
following formula: