Quenched and Tempered Steel

What is Q&T Steel?

Quenching and tempering is a heat treatment process that is applied to a metal or alloy in a solid state, using a series of carefully timed heating and cooling cycles, to produce a set of desired physical properties in the material.

The mechanical properties of steel are dependent on chemical composition and the size and distribution of the internal grain structure (microstructure). So, while chemical composition determines the type of steel produced, heat treatment controls the microstructure within the steel. By varying the heat treatment applied to the steel, the grain size, distribution and therefore properties of the steel can be altered to best suit its intended end use.

By heating the steel to a predetermined temperature and then rapidly cooling it, a coarse grain structure is promoted, resulting in a lean alloy steel. This typically produces a high hardness quality which is ideal for low impact and high abrasion applications such as mining, earth moving, quarrying, agriculture and minerals processing.

Under severe cooling rates (such as rapid quenching in cool water), a very hard and brittle microstructure is produced. In this condition, the steel contains high residual stresses and can be too brittle for some applications. Tempering the quenched steel to a carefully determined temperature and then controlling the cooling rate relieves these residual stresses and improves the ductility and toughness of the steel. This increase in ductility is usually attained at the sacrifice of hardness.

Quenched & tempered steel plate is often used in defence, transport, mining, and structural applications, as it is specifically designed for applications where the steel will be subjected to high-impact situations that demand high performance.

At the core of our quenched and tempered steel offering is the Bisalloy® range of Q&T steel products made using high-quality raw materials and cutting-edge manufacturing and technological know-how.  Bisalloy ® steel products are ideal for servicing high impact applications in heavy industry operations and manufacturering all across Australia. This allows our customers  the confidence that the materials we deliver will stand up to the rigour presented by mining sites, defence operations, and construction developments to name a few.

Our knowledgeable team is always available to discuss whether quenched or tempered steel might be the correct material for your business’ needs. To find out more about quenched and tempered plate, or Bisalloy ® products specifically, contact one of our many branches today.

Our branches are equipped with state-of-the-art machinery and our staff is well trained, empowering our team to deliver well-tailored quenched and tempered steel solutions to our clients.

Our clients require steel products for a variety of projects with vastly different specifications,  To meet the  unique requirements of our clients’ projects we offer arrange a range of processing services including plasma cutting, oxy cutting, as well as bevel, drilling, and etching. 

Many of our customers utilise our processing services for their quenched and tempered steel products, as this allows them to ultimately enhance their own operations in terms of their allocation of both time and resources. These enhanced efficiencies, in turn, enable our customers to pass on more favourable outcomes to the end consumer. 

BlueScope Distribution’s National Product, Processing & Solutions Hub plays a major role in delivering large scale national projects, with in-house capabilities, to assist customers to deliver national projects spanning the defence, infrastructure, renewables, mining, transport and agricultural sectors. Located in Unanderra, TheHub is close to key supply partners such as Bisalloy Steel and BlueScope, as well as other value-add services such as blasting and priming.

Taking this unified approach provides clients with the convenience and efficiency of having a single point of contact for their projects, delivering centralised project management and access to top-level technical expertise and advice to ensure a hassle-free experience.

We provide our customers with supply chain solutions such as just-in-time delivery, consignment stock, project management support, and more. These solutions help our customers to gain the most out of their operations and allow them to leverage these efficiencies to drive improved outcomes across their business. 

In addition to the solutions outlined above, BlueScope Distribution offers a free service known as The Steel Efficiency Review, which consists of free consultations for our clients in order to help them to ensure their operations are being run as efficiently as possible, with minimal waste in terms of both material and time.

Contact BlueScope Distribution today to discuss the full suite of tempered and quenched steel services available to your business and to determine how our services can best assist you and your business. We are dedicated to serving customers across Australia. Our metro branches are strategically located in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and we also have many rural branches to provide customers who live out-with these locations with high quality steel products.