A Review on the Effect of Heat Treatment on Mechanical and Microstructural Properties of Steels

This study is a review of studies that have investigated material changes as a result of heat treatment of the steel materials that are most commonly used in a wide range of applications. A summary is given of the steel material used in the studies, the heat treatment applied and the resultant changes in microstructure and corresponding changes in mechanical properties. It has been observed that heat treatments are applied at different temperatures and procedures to harden or soften the material. The cooling process of the material after heat treatment has also been reported in studies to affect the microstructure and mechanical properties. It has been observed that the growth of the grain structure reduces the mechanical properties, resulting in a decrease in strength and hardness values. It has also been determined that the phase transformations that occur depending on the cooling conditions of the material also affect the material properties. It has been observed that tensile, compression, flexure, impact and hardness tests are most commonly used to determine the mechanical properties of materials after heat treatment. It has been observed that optical and electron microscopes are used in the investigation of microstructural properties. In this literature review, many different heat treatments have been applied to many different types of steel and their results have been collected in a single study.