Purpose

This specification covers the requirements for embrittlement relief (baking) of heat treated steel parts to remove hydrogen infused during plating and certain other chemical processing such as stripping, chemical milling, pickling, and etching.

Application

This specification is applicable to parts made from carbon, low-alloy, and martensitic stainless steel heat treated to a minimum strength of 180 ksi (1241 MPa) or heat treated to a minimum hardness of 40 HRC or equivalent. It is also applicable to threaded fasteners made from carbon, low-alloy, or martensitic stainless steels heat treated to a minimum strength of 150 ksi (1034 MPa) or 34 HRC or equivalent, parts made from high strength precipitation hardening stainless steels other than A-286, and steel parts which have been case hardened (carburized, nitrided, nitrocarburized, or carbonitrided). See 8.2.