NORMALIZING: Normalizing is a defined as softening process in which iron base alloys are heated 40 to 50°C above the upper-critical limit for both hypo and hyper eutectoid steels and held there for a specified period and followed by cooling in still air up to room temperature. Fig 1 shows the heating temperature ranges for normalizing process of both hypo and hyper carbon steel. Fig. 2 shows the structure obtained after normalizing of medium carbon steel.

Objectives

• To soften metals
• Refine grain structure
• Improve machinability after forging and rolling
• improve grain size
• Improve structure of weld
• Prepare steel for sub heat treatment

Fig. 1 Heating temperature ranges for various heat treatment processes

ANNEALING: It is a softening process in which iron base alloys are heated above the transformation range held there for proper time and then cool slowly (at the of rate of 30 to 150°C per hour) below the transformation range in the furnace itself. Heating is carried out 20°C above upper critical temperature point of steel in case of hypo eutectoid steel and the same degree above the lower critical temperature point in case of type eutectoid steel. Fig 1 shows the heating temperature ranges for annealing or softening process of both hypo and hyper carbon steel. Fig. 3 shows the structure obtained after annealing of medium carbon steel. The structure of steel on slow cooling changes into ferrite and pearlite for hypo eutectoid steel, pearlite for eutectoid steel and pearlite and cementite for hyper eutectoid steel. The time for holding the article in furnace is ½ to 1 hour. As ferrous metals are heated above the transformation range, austenite structure will be attained at this temperature.
For a particular type of structure specific cooling rate is required to have good annealing properties for free machining. As metal is slowly cooled after heating and holding in and with the furnace and buried in non conducting media such sand, lime or ashes, carbon steels are cooled down at particular rate normally 150-200°C per hour while alloy steel in which austenite is very stable and should be cooled much lower (30°C to 100°C per hour). Very slow cooling is required in annealing to enable austenite to decompose at two degrees of super cooling so as to form a pearlite and ferrite structure in hypo-eutectoid steel, a pearlite structure in eutectoid steel and pearlite and cementite structure in hyper eutectoid steel. In successfully annealed steel, the grains of ferrite are large and regular while pearlite consists of cementite and ferrite. Hypo-eutectoid hot worked steel may under go full annealing to obtain coarse grain structure for free machining. When steel is cold worked the hardness (Brinell hard) considerably increases and ductility decreases slightly. The ductility of steel may be then restored by so called recrystallisation or process annealing.

Fig. 2 Structure of normalized Fig. 3 Structure of annealed
medium carbon steel medium carbon steel

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