Past Courses

Previous Course Descriptions

Field Metallography

Field Metallography describes the practice of performing microstructural analysis in the field. It can include grain sizing of titanium forgings on a production floor, steam boiler failure analysis on a ship or in a power plant or assessment of fire damage on a metal structure. The process requires four specimen preparation procedures: 1.grinding, 2.polishing, 3.etching, and 4.replication. The replica provides a document of microstructural condition, corrosion condition and the size and nature of cracking.

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Practical Heat Treating

This a heat treating course that has been recently revised by ASM and has never been presented by the Houston Chapter. In the past we have offered heat treating courses that almost exclusively addressed steels. This course addresses:

  • steel
  • stainless steel
  • cast iron
  • nonferrous metals aluminum
  • nickel
  • titanium

Heat treating surface effects such as carburizing, nitriding, and oxidation are also covered.This course is intended for designers, engineers, metallurgists, technicians, inspectors, and even sales and marketing personnel. The course has weekly exams and a final that is graded by ASM. Successful completion includes CEU credits and a certificate.

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Practical Oilfield Metallurgy

  • Practical Oilfield Metallurgy, Basic Metallurgy
  • Fundamentals of Corrosion
  • Metallurgy in Drilling
  • Metallurgy for Oil & Gas Production
  • Metallurgy for Enhanced Recovery & Surface Facilities
  • NACE MR0175 Welding / Failure Analysis
  • Metallurgy for Subsea Applications
  • Non-metallics, Seals and Elastomers in Oil & Gas Production

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Metallurgy for the Non-Metallurgist

  • Metals: A History
  • Materials Characterization and Selection
  • Mechanical Properties and Their Measurements
  • Steel and Cast Irons: Applications and Metallurgy
  • Nonferrous Metals: Industrial Applications & Properties
  • Extractive Metallurgy
  • Getting Metals into Useful Form: Part A
  • Getting Metals into Useful Form: Part B
  • Joining
  • Solidification of Metals
  • Heat Treatment of Steel
  • Strengthening Mechanisms: Nonferrous Metals
  • Case Hardening of Steel
  • Corrosion and Corrosion Prevention
  • Quality Control and Failure Analysis

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Mechanical Testing of Metals

  • Introduction to Mechanical Testing
  • Instrumentation and Calibration of Mechanical Test Equipment
  • Hardness Testing
  • Fundamentals of Tension and Compression Testing
  • Special Applications of Tension and Compression Testing
  • Shear, Torsion, Creep and Creep Rupture Testing
  • Ductility and Formability Testing
  • Fracture Testing
  • Fatigue Testing Methods
  • Computers in Mechanical Testing

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Selection of Materials

  • Materials Selection Process
  • Relations between Properties and Materials
  • Selection for Mechanical Properties
  • Selection for Fatigue and Fracture Toughness
  • Selection for Wear Resistance
  • Selection for Corrosion Resistance
  • Selection for High-Temperature and Oxidation
  • Selection for Electrical and Magnetic Applications
  • Characteristics of Iron and Steel
  • Characteristics for Non-Ferrous Alloys
  • Characteristics of Ceramics and Glass
  • Characteristics of Plastics and Polymers
  • Characteristics of Composites
  • Characteristics of Surface Treatments
  • Economics of Materals Selection

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Heat Treatment of Steel

  • Practical heat treating of ferrous material
  • Latest heat processing technology
  • Heat treating fundamentals

Heat Treatment of Steel is a comprehensive course that provides valuable insight into the effects of thermal treatments for softening steel (annealing) as well as hardening treatments such as quenching and tempering, austempering, and various surface (case) hardening methods. Heat treatments for plain carbon, low alloy, stainless, and tool steels are described and related to the fundamental changes in microstructure and properties that occur during such processing. There is also emphasis on heat treating process control with regard to furnace atmospheres, temperature, quenching techniques, and selection of proper furnace equipment for different types of heat treating operations.

What You’ll Learn

  • How to efficiently heat treat steels
  • What chemical changes take place and how to control surface changes
  • Selection and operation of efficient heat treating equipment and controls
  • The chemistry involved in controlling atmospheres
  • When to use specific quenching processes
  • How to improve the properties of components by reducing wear and increasing strength, toughness and fatigue life
  • How to select steels for optimum results: why use low carbon steel vs. high carbon steel

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Nickel and Nickel Alloys

  • Introduction to Nickel:
  • Properties of Pure Nickel
    Solid Solution Nickel Alloys
  • Precipitation Hardening Nickel Alloys
    Melting/Casting
  • Mechanical Properties
    Hot Forming
  • Cold Forming
    Heat Treating
  • Machining
    Welding
  • Corrosion Principles
    Aqueous Corrosion
  • High Temperature Corrosion
    Applications

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Surface Engineering For Wear And Corrosion

  • Electroless Nickel
  • Electroplatings
    Electrodeposition
  • Thermal Spray Technology
    Thermal Spray Equipment
  • Thermal Spray Procedures
    Thermal Spray Materials
  • Thermal Spray Applications
    Thermal Spray Testing
  • Hardfacing
    Laser Treatments
  • Carburizing/Boriding
    Nitriding
  • Surface Hardening of Steels
    PVD/CVD

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Stainless Steels

Course Overview: Stainless steels are a small but very important segment of the steel industry. The use of stainless steels is based primarily on their corrosion resistance for many applications, although not limited to this. The course involves the properties of stainless, various types, thermal treatments, fabrication and corrosion resistance.

What you will learn:

  • Examine the various ways in which stainless steels may be modified by heat treatment, cold working and precipitation-hardening
  • Understanding the difference between the various stainless steels

Course Outline:

  1. Introduction to Stainless Steels: Designations for wrought and cast alloys; common characteristics; general classifications; austenitic, martensitic, ferritic, precipitation-hardening and other stainless steels; cryogenic applications
  2. Physical Metallurgy of Stainless Steels: Transformations in pure iron; iron-iron carbide system; iron-nickel, iron-chromium, iron-chromium-carbon and iron-chromium-nickel alloys; special additions to stainless steels
  3. Properties of Austentic Stainless Steels: Nomenclature and compositions; physical and mechanical properties; mechanical properties of cold-worked austenitic stainless steels; impact properties of cold-worked steels; fatigue properties
  4. Properties of Martensitic and Ferritic Stainless Steels: Martensitic stainless steels; response of individual grades; effect of factors related to heat treatment; properties of ferritic stainless steels; sensitization; uses of ferritic stainless steels
  5. Heat- and Corrosion-Resistant Alloy Castings: Heat- and corrosion-resistant alloys; foundry production methods; evaluation criteria and test methods; economics; welding and welding characteristics; processes and techniques
  6. Properties of Precipitation-Hardening Steels: Types; effects of alloying elements; precipitation-hardening austenitic, semi-austenitic and martensitic stainless steels
  7. Heat Treating Stainless Steels: Austenitic, martensitic, ferritic alloys; nitriding stainless steels; bright annealing; salt bath annealing; stainless steel castings; furnaces
  8. Forging, Machining, Cleaning and Finishing of Stainless Steels: Forging, heating practice; forgeability; machining; cutting fluids; speed, feed and depth of cut; electrical discharge machining; cleaning; abrasive blast cleaning; acid pickling; salt bath descaling; finishing, grinding, polishing, buffing, barrel finishing, electropolishing, etching, passivation
  9. Cold Forming Stainless Steels: Power requirements; selection of grade; formability of grades; lubrication; blanking and piercing; springback; methods of forming
  10. Deep Drawing Stainless Steels: Product shapes; types of operations; fundamentals; draw ratios; selection of grade; equipment; lubricants; die clearance, etc.
  11. Metallurgy of Welding Stainless Steels: Influence of physcial constants reducing unfavorable effects of heat-welding of austenitic steels; heat affected zone cracking; welding of various types of stainless steels
  12. Joining of Stainless Steels: Welding of stainless steels; gas tungsten-arc welding; plasma-arc welding; fas metal-arc welding; shielded metal-arc welding; resistance welding; friction welding; oxyacetylene welding; submerged arc welding; electron beam welding; brazing and soldering
  13. Corrosion of Metals: general classification of corrosion; electromotive force and galvanic series; metallurgical factors; types of corrosion, including stress corrosion
  14. Corrosion Resistance of Stainless Steels: effect of alloying elements; other factors affecting corrosion of stainless steels; corrosion in various environments; corrosion resistance of austenitic, ferritic, martensitic and stainless steels; corrosion resistance of precipitation-hardenable stainless steels
  15. Stainless Steels at High Temperatures: effect of alloying elements; strength of metals at elevated temrperatures; strength of stainless steels at elevated temperatures; stainless steel castings at high temperatures; high temperature corrosion resistance; selecting a material for elevated temperature service

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Corrosion

  • Introduction to Corrosion
  • Basic Concepts in Corrosion
    Thermodynamics: Potential – pH Diagrams
  • Kinetics of Corrosion: Polarization
    Eight Forms of Corrosion: Uniform, Pitting, Concentration Cell
  • Eight Forms of Corrosion: Galvanic and Stress Corrosion Cracking, Erosion Corrosion, Intergranular and Dealloying
  • Corrosion Testing and Monitoring
    Electrochemical Test Methods
  • General Material Considerations and Applications to Ferrous Alloys
    Nonferrous and Nonmetallic Materials
  • Corrosive Environments
    Economics and Failure Analysis
  • Methods of Control

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Principles of Failure Analysis

This course presents a very practical approach to failure analysis covering Procedures for Analysis, Failure Mechanisms and Failure in Product Forms and Components. Causes of failures are explained with easy-to-understand diagrams of stress application and distribution. Many case histories of failures and their elimination are highlighted throughout the course.

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