Much of the current research and development in additive manufacturing is devoted to making parts from just a few specific alloy compositions.

The Jominy end-quench test is used to measure the hardenability of a steel, which is a measure of the capacity of the steel to harden in depth under a given set of conditions. This article considers the basic concepts of hardenability and the Jominy test.

Heat treatment plays an important and – most would agree – critical role in gear manufacturing.

Gears perform the critical functions of transmitting power or carrying motion in mechanical assemblies.

The microstructure of a material represents its fundamental properties, and most heat treatments are performed to tailor these properties to a specific need. Good metallographic preparation allows faster and more-accurate quality control – whether a microstructural inspection or performing specific tests such as case-depth analysis.

Carnegie Mellon University Materials Science and Engineering Professor Liz Holm discusses using machine learning algorithms to search microstructure images for cracks, defects and rare features.

Today, BNA is a trusted nondestructive method for stress analysis, material characterization and the detection of heat-treatment and other thermally induced material defects.

Conducting tests on actual parts, while often both time-consuming and expensive, is extremely rewarding. Let’s learn more.

Advancements in nonferrous metals processing could not only save energy in their manufacture, but also provide significant energy savings through the use of lightweight metals.