Austenitized

Austenitized refers to the process of subjecting objects to heat treatment in a laboratory or industrial setting using a commercially semi-fused powder furnace. This process is named after the Austenitic furnace, which generates an Austenitic structure in the material being treated. The primary intention behind austenitizing is to scale down laboratory space requirements while still achieving the same metallographic properties as traditional methods.

The process typically involves the use of a rail-style loading system and commercially semi-fused powder furnaces, which maintain a precise temperature. The powders used in this process form a semi-fused cluster when heated to specific temperatures. They can achieve temperatures previously unattainable, allowing a more extensive and controlled heat treatment.

More specifically, austenitizing involves rapidly heating a material to its austenitization temperature, holding it for a specified timeframe, and then allowing it to cool at a defined rate. This relatively high temperature helps relieve stresses associated with the heat treatment process. As a result, the final stage produces a more stress-free material with the intended properties.

Those who apply the austenitization process are working within the domains of materials science and engineering. Small-scale methods help support a wide and diverse range of scientific research and the rapid development of new materials. Thus, austenitizing occupies a significant position in the advancement of understanding the behavior and properties of certain materials. Research further investigates its suitability for production-scale purposes, but as yet, no commercially-distributed procedures in whole furnaces in replacement of conventional electric furnace heating methods exist.