Tempering

Reheating quenched steel to a temperature below Ac1 (typically 150–650 °C) and cooling, to trade a little hardness for a large gain in toughness and to relieve quenching stresses. Tempering temperature is the main dial for final hardness of tool and alloy steels.

More terms

Annealing · Austenite · Bainite · Carbon equivalent (CEV) · Carburizing · Case hardening · Charpy impact test · Cold drawn · Decarburization · Elongation (A) · ESR (electroslag remelting) · Ferrite