Annealing involves heating the material to a specific temperature and then cooling it slowly to make it softer and more ductile. This process reduces internal stress and improves the material’s machinability.

Case hardening is a process of heating the surface of the material and then quenching it to create a hard outer layer while leaving the interior of the material relatively soft and ductile. This process is used to improve wear resistance and fatigue life in components such as gears, bearings, and shafts.

Tempering is a process of heating the material after quenching to a specific temperature and then cooling it to a specific rate to reduce its brittleness and increase its toughness. This process makes the material more ductile and less brittle, making it suitable for applications that require high toughness, such as automotive parts and machine components.

Quenching involves rapidly cooling the material in a liquid such as water or oil to increase its hardness and strength. This process creates a hard and brittle material that is suitable for cutting tools, gears, and other components that require high wear resistance.

Normalizing is similar to annealing, but the material is cooled in air instead of slowly, resulting in a harder and stronger material. This process is often used to improve the material’s mechanical properties.

Hardening is a heat treatment process that involves heating the material to a high temperature, then rapidly quenching it in a liquid medium, such as oil or water. This rapid cooling causes the material to become very hard and brittle, with high strength and wear resistance. Hardening is often used to produce cutting tools, gears, and other components that require high wear resistance.