hitameðhöndlun
Hitameðhöndlun is the Icelandic term for heat treatment. It refers to a process where materials, most commonly metals, are subjected to controlled heating and cooling cycles to alter their physical and mechanical properties. The primary goals of heat treatment are to improve hardness, toughness, ductility, wear resistance, or to relieve internal stresses.
Common heat treatment processes include annealing, which softens the material and makes it more ductile; hardening,
The effectiveness of heat treatment depends on the material's composition, particularly its carbon content for steels.