Stress relieving steel involves heating a steel workpiece to a specific temperature for a specified amount of time to remove internal stresses. The temperature is determined by the alloy and the process is necessary to prevent warping or breaking during use. After heating, the part is left to cool without hardening.
Stress relieving steel is a heat treatment process that involves subjecting a steel workpiece or part to a specific temperature for a specified amount of time. The temperature at which stress relief occurs is determined by the transformation temperature, which can be a different figure for various steel alloys. Each piece of steel may also require a different amount of time, as the entire part needs to be able to reach the stress relief temperature. Once the desired temperature has been reached, the piece can be removed and left to cool. This process typically occurs after machining and is intended to remove internal stresses from the steel.
Steel is an iron alloy that can contain varying amounts of carbon, although other metals such as manganese and tungsten can also be used. This metal alloy is very strong and durable, but machining it can introduce unwanted stresses into the physical structure of a piece. Stress relief steel is one way to deal with this situation, and machined steel parts can warp or break during use if this type of action is not taken. This process can relieve over 90% of the internal stresses in the steel and is especially useful for large cast or welded parts, as well as parts that have had a lot of material removed during machining.
The general process for stress relieving steel is the same for all of the different alloys, although the specifics of the procedure may differ. This process involves introducing heat to the steel parts after the machining process, the exact temperature of which depends on the alloy in question. In general, the stress relieving temperature is approximately 75° C (170° F) lower than the transformation temperature of the steel. Since steel typically has a transformation temperature of approximately 730°C (1340°F), the correct temperature for stress relieving steel is approximately 655°C (1170°F). Alloys using other metals, or significantly different levels of carbon, typically have higher transformation temperatures, so stress relieving these steel grades often requires more heat.
After a machined steel piece has been subjected to the stress relief temperature, it should be left there until the part has fully heated up. At that point, the part can be removed from the heat and the final step of stress relieving steel is to allow the part to cool. There is no hardening involved in this part of the process and the parts are typically allowed to cool in air without the benefit of fans or other external cooling methods.
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