Effect of Heat Treatment on the Mechanical Properties of Stainless Steel 304

Stainless steel is widely used in the engineering industry for its suitable engineering properties such as corrosion resistance, high flexibility, hardness and durability to static and dynamic loads. It is very suitable for home uses, automotive parts and many engineering applications. In this study, a sample of 304 stainless steel was selected, where a heat treatment (Normalizing) was performed. This process was performed at (1050, 1100 and 1150) °C respectively and according to (ASTM 304 S30400). And Tempering at 350 °C to remove the internal stresses and prevent the deposition of carbides, which occurs at the degree of (450-800) °C for stainless steel. Mechanical tests were conducted, the tensile and Brinell hardness tests. In addition to the test of the fatigue, wear and Izod impact tests. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis was used to distinguish the phase (s) that formed The results showed in general that the heat treatments lead to the improvement of mechanical properties except the impact test, the best cases has been at 1100 °C temperature.