Howdy,
I have a piece of 304 stainless that I would like to somewhat retain the shape it is currently bent into. I have it in an oven right now at 350C, which I will keep it in for an hour.
When the hour is done, should I drop it in some water, or just let it cool by itself (or does it make any difference)?
Thanks for any tips,
Jon
According to the Metals Handbook, to treat 304 for dimensional stability,
"Stress relieve at 400 to 900F; slow cool. (Usual time, 4 hr per inch of section."
Which seems abiguous to me. 4 hours at temp, 4 hours to cool or 4 hours total?
Ned Simmons
"Ned Simmons" >
Thanks, Ned, that gets me close enough for my little experiment. I'll leave it be when it's done and let it cool with the oven.
Jon
350°C!? I guess it should be in the 600°C range. Heat it up in the oven, hold it there for an hour per 10mm (or so) and cool it down *slowly*. 50°C per hour is the normally recommended rate.
Nick
Thanks, Nick. The reason that I kept it at 350C was because I read that temperatures over 400C can lead to carbide precipitation, opening it up (literally) to corrosion. I was doing this for a bit of learning, and did notice a bit of stress relief.
It did discolor the stainless, though, but I don't know if that is from whatever was in my oven, or if it was a normal reaction to heating.
Nonetheless, thanks for the tip on cooling.
Jon
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