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To soften material, relieve internal stresses, and improve ductility - Heat above the recrystallization temperature and then allow to cool slowly, usually inside the furnace.

To refine the grain size, improve the uniformity of microstructure and properties - Heat the steel above its upper critical temperature and then air cool.

To increase hardness and strength - Rapidly cool a hot-worked metal by immersing it in water, oil, or another quenching medium.

To decrease brittleness and increase toughness - Heat a previously quenched or normalized steel to a temperature below the eutectoid temperature, then cool it at a desired rate.

To create a hard, wear-resistant surface layer on a tough core - Diffuse carbon or nitrogen into the surface layer of a steel part, followed by quenching.

To add carbon to the surface layer of steel - Heat steel in the presence of a carbonaceous material such as charcoal or carbon monoxide, then quench.

To harden the surface by introducing nitrogen into the metal - Expose the steel to ammonia or a nitrogen-rich environment at a temperature below the critical point, no quenching required.

To enhance the properties of metals by subjecting them to very low temperatures - Cool the material to cryogenic temperatures and slowly return it to room temperature.

To strengthen alloys by forming precipitates - Solution treatment followed by aging, where the material is heated to a moderate temperature and held for a certain period.