Methods of heat-treating steel

摘要

This invention relates to a method of heat-treating steel in a furnace in the presence of a controlled atmosphere. The H2O content of the furnace is determined, the atmosphere is formed by adding to a carrier gas a quantity of a hydrocarbon having the general formula CxHy which is necessary and sufficient to reduce the water in the furnace in accordance with the following reaction: CxHy+xH2O->xCO+(x+y/2)H2, and the steel is raised to a temperature between 650 DEG and 900 DEG C. The method is applicable to the annealing, heating before quenching, and tempering of steel.