The project
The customer's as-rolled ring stock showed enough grain-structure and residual-stress variability lot to lot that downstream machining tolerances were becoming inconsistent — a straightforward normalizing cycle (heating above the transformation range and air cooling) refines and evens out the as-rolled grain structure and relieves residual stress without the added cost or distortion risk of a full quench-and-temper cycle, which A36's comparatively modest strength target didn't call for in the first place.
The full 40-ton lot was processed across three furnace charges, with hardness spot-checks on each charge confirming consistent results before release back to the customer.