Introduction to Metallurgy and Its Practice
Duration: 3 Days
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This seminar is designed to provide the attendee with basic information and terminology associated with the science and engineering of metals and alloys. Long the province of the professional metallurgist, this discipline now finds an ever-increasing number of engineers and technicians educated and trained in other fields who are required to make judgments concerning alloy compositions and processing routines with little or no formal background in metallurgy.
Realizing that the properties of metals and alloys are determined by their microstructures and, in turn, that microstructure is controlled by thermal and mechanical processing, this seminar begins with a brief examination of the way in which metal atoms interact and bond to form a basic crystal structure. The casting and solidification of pure metals is examined briefly as a prelude to an explanation of the way in which alloys solidify. The concepts of solid solutions and phase diagrams are introduced in terms of common alloy systems such as steels and aluminum-base alloys. Thermal and mechanical processing methods for strengthening and toughening alloys are discussed, with special emphasis on the microstructure alterations that account for the changes in the properties of steels as a result of heat treatment. Precipitation hardening in alloys based on nonferrous metals (such as aluminum) is also explained.
After introducing the concepts and practices associated with control of microstructure, the relationships between microstructure and mechanical properties (hardness, strength, toughness, ductility, fatigue life, etc.) will be discussed and related to industrial practices for such processes as cold working, hardening and tempering of steels, and annealing. The methods used to test for mechanical properties will be reviewed and such terms as yield strength, tensile strength, fatigue limit, CVN toughness, and others will be explained.
This seminar will dispel some of the "witchcraft and black magic" often attributed to the practice of metallurgy. A better appreciation of the basics of the field will benefit those persons who find themselves involved in the specification and processing of metals as well as in quality control functions.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this seminar, participants will be able to:
- Recognize and define key elements of terminology used in metallurgical practice
- Associate the control of the structure of metals and alloys with the properties that they exhibit
- Associate processing techniques with control of microstructure
- Describe and interpret the results of mechanical property testing of metals
Who Should Attend
Although no formal prerequisites for this seminar are needed, the content will be most appreciated by those engineers, shop supervisors, and technicians who work with metal specification, design, processing, and quality functions. The seminar is designed to provide some background and knowledge to help these individuals understand how and why metal properties respond to processing. This seminar is also recommended to those engineers who may have taken one or two materials science and engineering courses during their undergraduate programs and want to refresh their memories regarding some concepts and terminology related to the practice of metallurgy.
Topical Outline
- Brief Overview of the Field of Metallurgy and Materials
- Metals in the Solid State
- Nature of crystals and the metallic bond between atoms
- Effect of bonding on properties (elastic stiffness, thermal expansion, melting temperature)
- Definition of crystal structures and their significance in metals and alloys
- Important defects in metal crystals (vacancies, dislocations)
- Grains and grain boundaries in metals
- Solidification of Pure Metals
- As-cast structures (grain formation)
- Casting defects (gas porosity, shrinkage cavities)
- Metal Alloys
- Concept of solid state solubility
- Phase diagrams
- Development of microstructure during solidification
- Equilibrium solidification
- Inhomogeneous structures (coring) and alloy casting defects
- Ferrous alloys
- Nonferrous alloys
- Heat Treatment of Steel
- Definition and designations for steels
- The Fe-Fe3C phase diagram
- Austenitizing
- Influence of cooling rate on microstructure and hardness -- microstructures (pearlite, bainite, martensite); IT and CCT diagrams; annealing and normalizing; hardening by quenching and tempering; hardenability of steels (response to quenching); tempering quenched steels to improve ductility and toughness
- Surface hardening by carburizing and induction
- Precipitation (Age) Hardening
- Fundamentals
- Age hardening of aluminum alloys
- Mechanical Properties of Metals and Alloys
- Origin of mechanical properties in metal structures -- role of crystal defects (dislocations); role of microstructure
- Definition and testing of mechanical properties (hardness, yield strength, tensile strength, ductility, toughness, fatigue life)
- Fabrication of Metals by Deformation Processing
- Effects of cold working on structure and properties -- strain hardening; annealing to stress relieve and soften after cold work
- Effects of hot working on structure and properties
- General deformation methods (rolling, forging, drawing, etc.)
- Open Discussion of Issues Related to Metallurgy in the Transportation Vehicle Industry
- Summary and Wrap-up
Instructor(s): Darrell W. Smith
Dr. Darrell Smith is a consultant in metallurgy and materials and is Professor Emeritus of Metallurgical Engineering at Michigan Technological Univ. Prior to joining the MTU faculty, he was employed as a process metallurgist by Babcock and Wilcox and as a research metallurgist by General Electric. He holds the B.S.-Met.E. from MTU and the M.S.-Met. and Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve Univ. He has been active in both ASM International and APMI International (formerly the American Powder Metallurgy Institute), having served on the Boards of Directors for both organizations. Dr. Smith is the recipient of the Distinguished Educator Award from ASM and the Distinguished Service to Powder Metallurgy Award from the Metal Powder Industries Federation. He has conducted intensive continuing education seminars related to metals and materials for more than 20 years, having presented a number of topics to very diverse audiences, numbering in excess of 3000 attendees. In addition, Dr. Smith has taught a required course in materials science and engineering to approximately 4000 undergraduate engineering students, most of the students being Mechanical Engineering majors. He has published about 50 research papers in archival journals and conference proceedings related to several areas of metallurgy. He is a Fellow of ASM International.
Fees: $1545.00
; SAE Members: $1236.00 - $1391.00
2.0 CEUs
For additional information, contact SAE Customer Service at 1-877-606-7323 (724/776-4970 outside the U.S. and Canada) or at CustomerService@sae.org.
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