Heat treatments and why people use them

Union Steel Tubes is successful because we go above and beyond to satisfy the needs of our clients. To ensure they find what they need, we provide over 200 different options for ERW tubes. In addition, we test each one to make sure they will be suitable for use. We are dedicated to offering everyone a stellar service here.

Many people use heat treatment to enhance their metals. This procedure is where you heat and cool the metal to improve its characteristics. Both non-ferrous and ferrous metals can receive heat treatments before use.

Why do people like using heat treatments?

ERW tubesCertain heat treatment processes make the material harder, while others make it soft. They can also have an effect on the heat and electrical conductivity these metals possess. There are options to relieve stresses brought about by earlier cold working operations. Others produce beneficial chemical properties to metals. Selecting the ideal approach boils down to the variety of metal and the attributes you need.

In some instances, a metal might receive a number of heat treatments. For example, several super alloys may undergo as many as six separate heat treating stages. This is to optimise them for the application. If you are ever in need of superb quality ERW tubes, make sure you speak to us.

The specific details

If you don’t know about the specifics of heat treatment, it is where you heat up the metal before holding it at a certain temperature. Then, you start cooling it, either slowly or with rapid quenching. As the operation is taking place, the metal is going to live through changes in its mechanical characteristics. The reason for this is the high temperature changes the microstructure. That can affect things like the brittleness, hardness, toughness, and ductility.

The final result of heat treatment can depend on a myriad of details. This includes the surrounding conditions and cooling rate. In addition, it can involve the time you keep the metal at a particular temperature and how quickly you heat it. The part size, type of metal, and heat treatment method determine the parameters.

An efficient and swift service when you need ERW tubes

At Union Steel Tubes, we prefer to keep a large array of tubing in stock where possible. We do this because it becomes easier for us to provide a service that is efficient and swift. In most cases we can dispatch in stock items the next day. For more urgent orders, we attempt to make same day deliveries when we can.

So, if you require ERW tubes, please contact us. We cater for most needs, and can even offer bespoke tubing if standard products are not right for your project.