Construction and manufacturing equipment, which often endure harsh conditions, require materials that are durable enough to withstand such conditions without wearing out or causing equipment failure.
In applications where wear-resistance is crucial, project engineers may opt to use quenched and tempered (Q&T) steel materials. Q&T steel is heat-treated, a process that intensely heats and cools a material to alter its physical properties, to enable the material to withstand severe impact and abrasion.
What Is Quenched And Tempered Steel?
Quenched and tempered steel gets its name from the heat treatment it receives: quenching and tempering.
Quenching and tempering is a two-part heat treatment process that follows the steps below and alters a material’s internal grain structure to give it greater strength, toughness and hardness, properties which are important for materials used in high-wear applications.
Quenching: A steel material is heated to a high temperature that falls between 1,500- and 1,650-degrees Fahrenheit. The material is then rapidly cooled with water.
Tempering: After being cooled with water, a steel material is re-heated to a below-critical temperature–which falls between 300- and 700-degrees Fahrenheit. The material is then air-cooled.
While A514 is regulated by ASTM code, AR400 and AR500 steel are certified to meet a specific Brinell Hardness Number (BHN) range, which indicates material hardness. The specific chemical composition is not regulated or standardized between mills.
