Testing Methods for Heat Treated Steel Products

Heat treatment of steels changes the microstructure. For the same chemical composition of a steel, the micro-structural variations is the most important parameter that determines the properties of a component - physical, chemical, mechanical and others. The presence of a wrong or undesirable microstructure reduces the life of a component and often leads to premature failures. Another parameter which is important for component integrity is the presence of physical discontinuity such as cracks which are introduced in the component due to faulty heat treatment which imparts wrong microstructures and
residual stresses. The microstructural features have a wide range of dimensions.