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GCSE Design and Technology · key term
Producing a hard outer layer on steel by adding carbon at the surface and heat treating it, while retaining a relatively soft core.
Used by Edexcel and Eduqas
Specification 2.4.2 · Paper 1
Revise: Reinforcement and StiffeningCase hardening provides a concrete example of changing carbon content to obtain different properties in different parts of a component. Carbon is added to the outer surface of the steel, which is then heat treated to produce a hard outer layer, or case. The core remains relatively soft.
Component 1
Adding carbon to the surface of low-carbon steel and hardening that surface, producing a hard outer layer around a tough core.
Do not describe all steels as equally suitable for hardening. Low-carbon mild steel needs surface enrichment with carbon for case hardening.
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Case hardening gives low-carbon steel a hard outer layer while retaining a tough core. Carbon is added to the surface, followed by heating and quenching to harden that carbon-rich layer. A gear, for example, benefits from a wear-resistant surface without the whole component becoming brittle.
