What Is The Difference Between Toughness and Hardness?
The two states at play when tempering steel in an oven are toughness and hardness. On the surface, those terms would seem interchangeable, but in metallurgy, they are distinct properties of an alloy.
Defining Toughness in an Alloy
In metallurgy and other materials science, toughness is a material’s ability to absorb energy and deform plastically without fracturing completely. Another way to think about toughness would be to define it as a material’s resistance to fracture. Tempering ovens are used to achieve higher toughness in an alloy to prevent catastrophic failure by allowing for deformation instead of fracturing.
Hardness in an Alloy Composition
Hardness, by contrast, is how resistant to plastic deformation a material is. The higher a composition’s hardness rating, the less likely it is to deform when placed under force. Tempering furnaces reduce hardness by heat-treating the metal in order to develop more toughness.
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How Tempering Furnaces Are Used
A factory tech tempering oven is used primarily to increase the toughness of metal or cast iron tools by decreasing the hardness of these products. The tradeoff is beneficial for the overall performance of a given part. These tempering furnaces offer a range of temperatures because the amount of hardness removed depends on the metal’s composition and the desired outcome of the product.
Tools and similar materials are tempered at lower temperatures because material hardness is a benefit to their overall performance. Products like springs require higher temperatures inside of an oven to allow for more material deformation and plasticity.
Get a Tempering Oven From Sentro Tech
A factory tech tempering oven from Sentro Tech allows you to temper your parts and materials to their ideal toughness. At Sentro Tech, we produce high-quality products like tempering furnaces and ovens for laboratories, manufacturers and a variety of industries. Our national reputation for quality and customer satisfaction has made Sentro Tech an ideal tempering furnace partner for a wide range of applications. Contact us to learn how we can develop the perfect tempering oven for you.