Materials · Metals & Heat Treatment
Steel Heat Treatment and Quench Study
Intermediate 3 weeks 15-25 hours
Heat treat high-carbon steel samples, quench them in water, oil, and air, and compare hardness and brittleness for each method.
Major
Materials
Focus area
Metals & Heat Treatment
Total hours
15-25 hours
What you'll need
- 1095 high carbon steel flat bar
- propane torch with self igniter
- hardness test file set
- fire resistant welding gloves
- magnet for critical temperature check
- metal container for quenching
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Steps
- Cut the steel bar into matching samples and label them.
- Heat each sample until it's no longer magnetic, which means it passed its critical temperature.
- Quench samples in water, oil, and air, working outdoors with gloves and eye protection.
- Test hardness of each sample with the hardness file set.
- Bend-test samples to compare brittleness and temper one set to see how it changes.
- Document the results and explain the metallurgy for your portfolio.
What to photograph for your portfolio
- Samples glowing at temperature
- quench setup
- hardness file test
- bend test results
- results table
Resume bullet starters
Copy one, then swap in your own numbers.
Heat treated [X] high-carbon steel samples and compared water, oil, and air quench methods
Ranked hardness and toughness for each method using file hardness and bend testing
Quantified results with [insert your result, such as hardness change, strength, efficiency, or error vs published values] and summarized findings in a technical report
Skills you'll show off
Heat treatmentphase transformationshardness testingmetallurgylab safety