(论文翻译 页数:11 字数:5147)金属热处理是将金属工件放在一定的介质中加热到适宜的温度，并在此温度中保持一定时间后，又以不同速度冷却的一种工艺。
金属热处理是机械制造中的重要工艺之一，与其他加工工艺相比，热处理一般不改变工件的形状和整体的化学成分，而是通过改变工件内部的显微组织，或改变工件表面的化学成分，赋予或改善工件的使用性能。其特点是改善工件的内在质量，而这一般不是肉眼所能看到的。
为使金属工件具有所需要的力学性能、物理性能和化学性能，除合理选用材料和各种成形工艺外，热处理工艺往往是必不可少的。钢铁是机械工业中应用最广的材料，钢铁显微组织复杂，可以通过热处理予以控制，所以钢铁的热处理是金属热处理的主要内容。另外，铝、铜、镁、钛等及其合金也都可以通过热处理改变其力学、物理和化学性能，以获得不同的使用性能。
在从石器时代进展到铜器时代和铁器时代的过程中，热处理的作用逐渐为人们所认识。早在公元前770～前222年，中国人在生产实践中就已发现，铜铁的性能会因温度和加压变形的影响而 变化。白口铸铁的柔化处理就是制造农具的重要工艺。
公元前六世纪，钢铁兵器逐渐被采用，为了提高钢的硬度，淬火工艺遂得到迅速发展。中国河北省易县燕下都出土的两把剑和一把戟，其显微组织中都有马氏体存在，说明是经过淬火的。
随着淬火技术的发展，人们逐渐发现淬冷剂对淬火质量的影响。三国蜀人蒲元曾在今陕西斜谷为诸葛亮打制3000把刀，相传是派人到成都取水淬火的。这说明中国在古代就注意到不同水质的冷却能力了，同时也注意了油和尿的冷却能力。中国出土的西汉(公元前206～公元24)中山靖王墓中的宝剑,心部含碳量为0.15～0.4%，而表面含碳量却达0.6%以上，说明已应用了渗碳工艺。但当时作为个人“手艺”的秘密，不肯外传，因而发展很慢。
1863年，英国金相学家和地质学家展示了钢铁在显微镜下的六种不同的金相组织，证明了钢在加热和冷却时，内部会发生组织改变，钢中高温时的相在急冷时转变为一种较硬的相。法国人奥斯蒙德确立的铁的同素异构理论，以及英国人奥斯汀最早制定的铁碳相图，为现代热处理工艺初步奠定了理论基础。与此同时，人们还研究了在金属热处理的加热过程中对金属的保护方法，以避免加热过程中金属的氧化和脱碳等。

Metal heat treatment
Metal heat treatment is a kind of craft to heat pieces of metals at the suitable temperature in some medium and to cool them at different speed after some time.
The metal heat treatment is one of the important crafts in the machine-building, comparing with other technologies, the heat treatment seldom changes the form of the work pieces and chemical composition of the whole .it improve the serviceability of the work piece through changing their micro- work pieces, chemical composition, or surface. Its characteristic is improving inherent quality of work pieces which can not be watched by our eyes.
In order to make the metal work piece have mechanics , physics and chemical property which are needed, besides the use of many materials and various kinds of crafts which are shaped , the heat treatment craft is essential. Steel is a wide-used material in the mechanical industry, its complicated micro-composition can be controlled through the heat treatment , so the heat treatment of the steel is a main content of the metal heat treatment . In addition aluminium, copper, magnesium, titanium and their alloys also can change their mechanics , physics and chemical property through the heat treatment to make different serviceability.
During the process of development from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age and to the Iron Age, the function of the heat treatment is gradually known by people. As early as 770 B.C.~222 B.C., the Chinese in production practices had already found the performance of the copper and iron changed by press and temperature . White mouthfuls of casting iron’s gentle-treatment is a important craft to make farm implements.
In the sixth century B.C., the steel weapon was gradually adopted. In order to improve the hardness of the steel, quench craft was then developed rapidly. Two sword and one halberd found in YANXIA, Hebei of China , had “MA structure” in its micro-composition which was quenched.
With the development of quenching technology, people gradually found the influence of cold pharmaceutical on quality of quenching. Pu yuan a people of the Three Kingdoms(now, Shanxi province Xiegu town)made3000 knives for Zhu Ge-liang.the knives were quenched in Chengdu according to legend. This proved that the chinese had noticed the cooling ability of waters with different quality in ancient times, and the cooling ability of the oil and urine at the same time were found. People found a sword in Zhongshan tomb which were up to the Western Han Dynasty (B.C. 206 -A.D. 24 ),in whose heart department carbon was about 0.15-0.4%, but on whose surface carbon was about more than 0.6%.this has shown the use of the carburization craft. But as the secret of individual's " craftsmanship " at that time, the development was very slow.