Rossi Tre carries out surface treatments and heat treatments of metals and alloys. Below you can find, in detail, the characteristics of the stress relief heat treatment.
Stress relief treatment: what is it?
Stress relief is a heat treatment used to reduce the internal stresses of the material without altering its structure or mechanical properties, and the process does not significantly affect the hardness of the material.
Furthermore, by minimizing residual stresses in the structure, this process reduces the risk of dimensional changes during the manufacturing of the same component or its final use.
Steel stress relief: how does it work?
The products are placed in the furnace in such a way as to allow air circulation and are brought to the predetermined temperature: during the heating phase, appropriate heating gradients must be applied depending on the thickness of the part, its geometry, and the characteristics of the equipment used.
Once the stress relief temperature is reached, it is maintained so that the entire thickness of the component can uniformly reach it. The holding phase of this heat treatment cycle is carried out within the correct temperature range: for steels commonly treated by Rossi Tre, the interval is generally between 550°C and 650°C.
Once the holding phase is completed, cooling follows: the parameters for this operation are established, as with the heating phase, based on the metallurgical characteristics of the material, the geometry of the part, and its thickness. In general, slow and carefully controlled furnace cooling is required, and it is essential that, as in all stages of this heat treatment, maximum temperature uniformity on the product is always sought in order to avoid the generation of new residual stresses.
At the end of the cycle, the parts are extracted from the furnace generally at a temperature between 100°C and 300°C (this depends mainly on the type of material treated), and then they are left to fully cool in air.