Heat treatments on metals are a series of processes used to modify the physical and mechanical properties of a material by subjecting it to the controlled action of heat.
These processes, such as annealing, hardening, tempering, normalizing, carburizing, nitriding, austempering and martempering, solution solution and ageing, are used to improve the characteristics of metallic materials in order to adapt them to specific production or use needs.
Heat treatments carried out at high temperatures involve the use of refractory materials which, due to their ability to resist high temperatures, excellent chemical inertness, high resistance to wear and abrasion as well as effective thermal insulation, are fundamental during these processes.
The main use of refractories in these treatments is to insulate and protect the surfaces exposed to heat during the heat treatment and prevent direct contact between the metal parts of the structure and the high temperatures and chemical reactions that develop during the treatment.