THERMAL TREATMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR STEELS AND CASTING DEFECT ELIMINATION
Keywords:
Heat treatment, steel thermal processing, austenitizing, quenching and tempering, cooling rate, microstructural transformation, martensite, pearlite, sorbite, casting process, casting defectsAbstract
Thermal treatment plays an essential role in achieving required mechanical properties of steels. Proper control of heating temperature, cooling rate, holding time, and selected cooling media determines the resulting microstructure and performance characteristics. Meanwhile, casting processes often introduce defects such as porosity, shrinkage cavities, cracks, and inclusions. These defects reduce the reliability and durability of steel components. This study examines requirements applied to steels during thermal treatment and presents effective methods for identifying and eliminating casting defects. The results show that optimized heat treatment combined with controlled casting conditions significantly enhances steel quality and operational performance.
