Symbols Used for Technical Delivery Forms in Steels

Methods such as plastic shaping, heat treatment or coating applied in the production, processing or use of steels may change the internal structure, that is, the microstructure, of the material. These changes directly affect the mechanical properties of steel.

For example, cold rolling or cold drawing processes lengthen the grains in the microstructure of the steel, or the grains are dispersed and dislocations are increased by the cold forging process. These cause the strength of the steel to increase.

Following these processes, an annealing process under suitable conditions will bring these particles back to their former form, causing the strength to decrease to its previous level. The speed of cooling after annealing and the environment in which the cooling takes place will directly affect the microstructure and therefore the properties of the material.