Heat distortion refers to any unwanted warping, bending, or deforming of metal due to excessive heat resulting from welding, cutting, or other thermal processes.

Key Features:

• Thermal Effect: When metal is heated unevenly and cooled unevenly, internal stresses are created, causing the metal to bend or twist out of shape.
• Impact to Quality: Heat distortion causes misalignment, poor fit, and loss of strength. Extra steps will need to be taken, like straightening or re-welding, to get the parts back to their pre-heat distortion state.
• Control Measures: There are certain things that can be done to mitigate heat distortion. These include preheating, using clamps, controlling heat input, and welding technique.

The important part of understanding heat distortion is to ensure that the metal parts stay within their design tolerances. For example, in the construction of buildings or ships, too much warping or distortion may delay the project and add to the cost. Skilled welders and fabricators are able to manage heat input with techniques like backstepping and balanced welding to minimize heat distortion. Proper planning and setup are very important to control defects and to keep metal parts strong and precise; these are very important characteristics, particularly in situations where metal parts are heat-treated during fabrication.

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