HT, Microstructures & Performance of Carbon and Alloy Steels, October 26-28, 2026

• Manufacturing personnel and engineers that specify steels and their heat treatmentThis course examines the phases that form in carbon and alloy steels and explores how alloying elements and manufacturing processes modify the iron-carbon diagram. Heat treated bar and forging steels serve as the primary material for critical components—including shafts, gears, bearings, fasteners, oil country tubulars, aircraft landing gear, and various tools—in demanding applications that require high or ultra-high strength, superior fatigue resistance, and exceptional wear resistance, while maintaining essential toughness and fracture resistance.

  The course reviews microstructures and phase transformations throughout the entire manufacturing process, from initial casting through quenching and tempering, demonstrating how these relate to mechanical properties, performance characteristics, fracture behavior, and potential embrittlement phenomena.

  The text of Steels: Processing, Structure and Performance, Second Edition by George Krauss is included when taking this course.

  WHO SHOULD ATTEND:

• Steel company operating personnel and sales engineers
• Heat treatment managers, personnel, and operators
• Metallographers and laboratory technicians
• Forensic laboratory personnel
• Failure analysts and troubleshooting specialists
• Quality control personnel

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Identify key microstructural components of heat treated steels, recognize their formation mechanisms, and correlate them with mechanical properties based on carbon and alloy composition
• Determine how austenitizing temperature, tempering parameters, and other heat treatment variables affect hardness development and mechanical performance
• Evaluate common causes of cracking and performance issues in heat treated steel components
• Apply this knowledge to improve steel selection, manufacturing processes, and heat treatment approaches for engineering applications

Previous participation in Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist™ or other heat treatment courses is helpful.

COURSE OUTLINE:

1. Introduction to Steels: Definitions, History, Primary Processing of Bar Steels
2. The Phases in Steels: Austenite, Ferrite, Cementite; Others depending on alloying
3. Fe-C Phase Diagram and Its Modifications
4. Ferritic, Pearlitic, Martensitic, Bainitic, and Austenitic Microstructures and Substructures
5. Review of Hardenability, Alloying, and Transformation Diagrams
6. Effect of Primary Processing on Microstructure: Inclusions and Banding
7. Micro alloyed Bar and Forging Steels
8. Quenched and Tempered Martensitic Microstructures
9. Hardness, Mechanical Properties, Deformation Behavior, and Fracture of Tempered Martensite
10. Quench Embrittlement, Tempered Martensite Embrittlement, Temper Embrittlement, Hydrogen Embrittlement

Continuing Education Units: 1.5