TRC and TTT diagrams
Heat treatments of steels

Heat treatment is a technique widely used in the construction and civil engineering sectors. It mainly involves heating a metal part to a specific temperature, followed by more or less rapid cooling, with the aim of modifying its mechanical characteristics to suit specific needs.

In the case of steels, heat treatment essentially involves studying the decomposition of their austenitic solid solution. This decomposition results in a crystalline structure better suited to the functional requirements of the part in question.

Table 1 shows some examples of heat treatments commonly used in the field. In the following sections, we'll take a closer look at these treatments and examine their effects on material properties in more detail.