Understanding Heat Treatment Results Using Metallography

How does processing and heat treatment procedures alter microstructures?

This lecture defines and illustrates with multiple examples to show how processing and heat treatment procedures alter microstructures. Examples are given of improper microstructures that caused component failures. Topics covered include: as-rolled microstructures, annealing, normalizing, isothermal transformations, continuous cooling transformations, under and over-austenitization, prior-austenite grain size control, solution annealing, surface treatments (carburizing, carbo-nitriding, nitriding), retained austenite, and problem microstructures. Examples illustrate how different etchants for steels reveal such structures, either more effectively or poorly. Examples are given to compare upper bainite with lower bainite and lath martensite with plate martensite.

In this webinar, you will see examples of: 
• Hot-rolled, annealed, normalized and quenched and tempered microstructures

• Isothermal versus continuously cooled transformed microstructures

• Case hardened microstructures (induction hardened, carburized, nitrided)

• Etching to reveal microstructures and prior-austenite grain boundaries