Steel Metallurgy Course
Master the science behind every steel decision — from atomic structure to industrial heat treatment. This course gives engineers and metallurgists a rigorous, practical foundation in steel behavior, microstructure, and grade selection. If you work with steel, this is the technical knowledge that separates guesswork from precision.
What you will learn:
You will develop a complete understanding of steel metallurgy, beginning with the iron‑carbon phase diagram and solid‑state transformations, then progressing through heat‑treatment processes, hardenability, and surface hardening. You will learn how alloying elements influence microstructure and mechanical properties, and how to read TTT and CCT diagrams to predict outcomes. The course also covers hardness, tensile, impact, and fracture‑toughness testing, linking test data to microstructure. You will study stainless, tool, structural, and bearing steels, applying selection criteria to engineering scenarios. Supplemental content includes welding metallurgy, corrosion, failure analysis, and emerging topics such as advanced high‑strength steels and computational thermodynamics.
How you study in practice Steel Metallurgy Course
How you practice Steel Metallurgy Course
For companies that want to train their team
With Dedika for Business, the course includes exercises and examples tailored to your own business and the way your company needs.
Course content
8 Chapters • 39 LessonsDuration between 4 and 360 hours (you decide)
Chapter 1HideHide detailsSee detailsFundamentals of Steel and Iron
Fundamentals of Steel and Iron
Lesson 1 • Common Alloying Elements in Steel
Surveys manganese, silicon, chromium, nickel, and molybdenum additions. Connects each element to specific property improvements relevant to industrial applications.
Lesson 2 • Carbon in Iron: Key Concepts
Explains how carbon dissolves in iron and forms interstitial solid solutions. Links carbon content directly to hardness, strength, and ductility outcomes.
Lesson 3 • Steel Classification Systems
Introduces designation systems for carbon and alloy steels by composition. Enables students to read and interpret standard steel grades used in industry.
Lesson 4 • Iron: Structure and Properties
Covers the crystal structure of pure iron and its allotropic transformations. Provides the atomic foundation needed to understand all subsequent steel behavior.
Chapter 2HideHide detailsSee detailsIron-Carbon Phase Diagram
Iron-Carbon Phase Diagram
Lesson 1 • Phase Diagram Fundamentals
Reviews Gibbs phase rule and binary phase diagram construction. Establishes the vocabulary of phases, fields, and invariant reactions used throughout the course.
Lesson 2 • Alloying Effects on the Phase Diagram
Shows how alloying elements shift critical temperatures and phase boundaries. Prepares students to interpret modified diagrams for alloy steels.
Lesson 3 • Critical Temperatures and Reactions
Identifies A1, A3, and Acm lines and the eutectic and eutectoid reactions. Students calculate phase fractions at any temperature and composition.
Lesson 4 • Pearlite and Proeutectoid Phases
Explains the formation of pearlite lamellae and proeutectoid ferrite or cementite. Connects microstructural morphology to cooling rate and carbon content.
Lesson 5 • Key Phases in the Fe-C System
Defines ferrite, austenite, cementite, and ledeburite with their compositions and structures. Each phase is linked to specific mechanical and thermal properties.
Chapter 3HideHide detailsSee detailsSolid-State Transformations in Steel
Solid-State Transformations in Steel
Lesson 1 • CCT Diagrams: Continuous Cooling
Translates isothermal TTT data to continuous cooling transformation diagrams. Enables prediction of microstructure for real industrial cooling processes.
Lesson 2 • Nucleation and Growth Principles
Covers classical nucleation theory and diffusion-controlled growth in solids. Provides the mechanistic basis for all transformation kinetics discussed in this chapter.
Lesson 3 • Bainite: Structure and Formation
Distinguishes upper and lower bainite morphologies and their formation mechanisms. Links bainite microstructure to toughness and strength combinations.
Lesson 4 • TTT Diagrams: Isothermal Transformations
Constructs and reads time-temperature-transformation diagrams for plain carbon and alloy steels. Students predict phase products from isothermal hold conditions.
Lesson 5 • Martensite Formation and Structure
Explains the diffusionless shear transformation producing martensite. Connects carbon content and tetragonality to hardness and brittleness of as-quenched martensite.
Chapter 4HideHide detailsSee detailsHeat Treatment Processes
Heat Treatment Processes
Lesson 1 • Normalizing Treatment
Defines normalizing as air cooling from above the upper critical temperature. Distinguishes normalized microstructure and properties from fully annealed steel.
Lesson 2 • Tempering of Martensite
Describes the four stages of tempering and their effects on hardness and toughness. Students select tempering temperatures to meet specific mechanical property targets.
Lesson 3 • Annealing: Types and Purposes
Covers full annealing, process annealing, and spheroidizing with their temperature ranges. Each treatment is linked to softening, stress relief, or machinability improvement.
Lesson 4 • Quenching: Media and Mechanisms
Compares water, oil, polymer, and gas quenching media by severity and distortion risk. Students select quench media based on steel grade and section size.
Lesson 5 • Austempering and Martempering
Explains interrupted quench processes that minimize distortion while producing bainite or martensite. Compares process parameters and resulting property profiles.
Chapter 5HideHide detailsSee detailsMechanical Properties and Testing
Mechanical Properties and Testing
Lesson 1 • Fracture Mechanics Basics
Introduces stress intensity factor K and fracture toughness KIc for steel components. Enables students to assess critical flaw sizes in structural steel applications.
Lesson 2 • Impact Toughness and Ductile-Brittle Transition
Explains Charpy and Izod impact tests and the ductile-to-brittle transition temperature. Connects DBTT to steel composition, grain size, and heat treatment.
Lesson 3 • Fatigue Behavior of Steel
Introduces S-N curves, endurance limit, and fatigue crack initiation mechanisms. Relates surface condition, residual stress, and microstructure to fatigue life.
Lesson 4 • Hardness Testing Methods
Compares Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers, and Knoop hardness scales and their applications. Students select the appropriate test for a given material condition and geometry.
Lesson 5 • Tensile Properties of Steel
Covers yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, elongation, and reduction of area. Links each parameter to microstructure and heat treatment condition.
Chapter 6HideHide detailsSee detailsHardenability of Steel
Hardenability of Steel
Lesson 1 • Ideal Diameter and Grossmann Method
Introduces ideal critical diameter (DI) and multiplying factors for alloying elements. Enables calculation of expected hardness depth for any steel composition.
Lesson 2 • Selecting Steel for Hardenability
Applies hardenability data to select the minimum-alloy grade meeting a design requirement. Balances cost, weldability, and hardenability in grade selection decisions.
Lesson 3 • Alloying Elements and Hardenability
Quantifies how boron, manganese, chromium, and molybdenum increase hardenability. Students predict hardenability changes from compositional adjustments.
Lesson 4 • Hardenability Concepts and Importance
Defines hardenability as depth of hardening, distinct from surface hardness. Explains why hardenability governs heat treatment success for structural components.
Lesson 5 • Jominy End-Quench Test
Details the standardized end-quench test procedure and hardness profile measurement. Students interpret Jominy curves to compare hardenability of different steel grades.
Chapter 7HideHide detailsSee detailsSurface Hardening and Case Hardening
Surface Hardening and Case Hardening
Lesson 1 • Nitriding and Nitrocarburizing
Explains gas and plasma nitriding mechanisms producing compound and diffusion zones. Compares nitriding to carburizing in terms of temperature, distortion, and surface hardness.
Lesson 2 • Carburizing: Principles and Practice
Covers gas, liquid, and vacuum carburizing mechanisms and process variables. Students calculate carbon profiles and case depths from diffusion equations.
Lesson 3 • Quality Control of Case-Hardened Parts
Defines effective case depth, total case depth, and core hardness acceptance criteria. Students apply metallographic and hardness traversal methods to verify case quality.
Lesson 4 • Flame and Induction Hardening
Describes selective surface austenitizing by flame or induction heating followed by quenching. Students specify frequency, power, and scan rate for target case depth.
Lesson 5 • Carbonitriding and Other Processes
Covers carbonitriding as a combined carbon-nitrogen case hardening process. Introduces boriding and TD coating as advanced surface hardening alternatives.
Chapter 8HideHide detailsSee detailsSteel Grades and Industrial Applications
Steel Grades and Industrial Applications
Lesson 1 • Tool Steels and Die Steels
Classifies tool steels by application: cold work, hot work, high-speed, and shock-resistant. Students match tool steel grade to service temperature, wear, and toughness demands.
Lesson 2 • Structural and Construction Steels
Covers high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) and structural carbon steels for construction use. Links controlled rolling and microalloying to yield strength and weldability.
Lesson 3 • Stainless Steels
Covers austenitic, ferritic, martensitic, duplex, and precipitation-hardening stainless families. Students select stainless grades based on corrosion environment and mechanical requirements.
Lesson 4 • Bearing and Gear Steels
Identifies cleanliness, hardenability, and fatigue requirements for bearing and gear applications. Links inclusion control and case hardening to rolling contact fatigue life.
Lesson 5 • Pressure Vessel and Pipeline Steels
Covers low-temperature toughness, hydrogen service, and sour service requirements. Students apply DBTT and fracture toughness criteria to pressure vessel grade selection.
Your valid completion certificate
This course is for you:
Mechanical engineer: needs to make confident, defensible steel specification decisions.
Manufacturing engineer: troubleshoots heat treatment outcomes without a clear metallurgical framework.
Materials science student: wants industry-relevant depth beyond what textbooks typically provide.
Quality control inspector: encounters steel grades daily but lacks the underlying science.
Welding engineer: needs to understand how thermal cycles alter steel microstructure.
Career changer: moving into metals-related industries from a different engineering discipline.
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