GCE3135
Physical Metallurgy
Md. Sidratul Montaha Hossain
Lecturer
Department of Glass & Ceramic Engineering
Rajshahi University of Engineering & Technology
1
Introduction
• Metallurgy is an art and science of extracting metals from their ores and
modifying the metals for use. It also concerns the chemical, physical, and
atomic properties and structures of metals and the principles whereby metals
are combined to form alloys.
• Physical Metallurgy deals with identifying, controlling and varying the
properties of the metals and alloys as per requirements of the mankind.
• It takes into consideration the phase changes with temperature and/or
composition. It reflects on the causes of the change in mechanical and physical
properties. Study the relation between structures and all properties of metal.
2
Heat Treatment
• Heat treatment involves heating a metal or alloy to a specific
temperature and then cooling it to harden the material
• A combination of heating & cooling operations, timed & applied to a
metal or alloy in the solid state in a way that will produce desired
properties.
• A group of industrial, thermal and metalworking processes used to
alter the physical, and sometimes chemical, properties of a material
• Example: Annealing, Quenching, Normalizing, Case Hardening
Case Hardening
• Case hardening is a heat treatment
technique in which the steel surface is
processed by the addition of carbon,
nitrogen or both to the surface of the steel
part in order to provide a harden case
(very thin layer) of a definite depth of 0.03
mm.
• Case hardening results in a very thin layer
of metal that is notably harder than the
larger volume of metal underneath of the
hardened layer.
Case Hardening
Case Hardening
• Case hardening is a technique by which both surface hardness and fatigue life are
enhanced for steel alloys. This is accomplished by a carburizing or nitriding process
whereby a component is exposed to a carbonaceous or nitrogenous atmosphere at
an elevated temperature. A carbon- or nitrogen-rich outer surface layer (or “case”)
is introduced by atomic diffusion from the gaseous phase.
• The case is normally on the order of 1 mm deep and is harder than the inner core of
material. The improvement of fatigue properties results from
• increased hardness within the case,
• as well as the desired residual compressive stresses the formation of which attends the
carburizing or nitriding process.
• The increase in case hardness is demonstrated in the photomicrograph appearing in
Figure 8.27. The dark and elongated diamond shapes are Knoop microhardness
indentations. The upper indentation, lying within the carburized layer, is smaller
than the core indentation.
Case Hardening
• The increase in case hardness
is demonstrated in the
photomicrograph appearing in
Figure. The dark and elongated
diamond shapes are Knoop
microhardness indentations.
The upper indentation, lying
within the carburized layer, is
smaller than the core
indentation.
Purpose of Case Hardening
To produce
• Soft and tough core
• Hard case
Process of Case Hardening
• Carburizing
• Nitriding
• Cyaniding /Carbonitriding
• Flame hardening
• Induction Hardening