Patent ID: 7163595

Claim:
A thermal process for treating a material to improve structural characteristics of the material consisting of: a. placing a material with a material temperature within a thermal control apparatus consisting of a chamber with a chamber temperature; b. introducing a cryogenic material into the thermal control apparatus to decrease the material temperature, while preventing over-stressing of the metal, to a first target temperature ranging from −120 degrees F. and −380 degrees F. at a first temperature rate ranging from 0.25 degrees per minute and 20 degrees per minute; c. stopping the introduction of the cryogenic material into the chamber once the first target temperature is reached for at least two hours; d. heating the material to a second target temperature ranging from 0 degrees F. and 1400 degrees F.; e. using a second temperature rate ranging from 0.25 degrees per minute and 20 degrees per minute, and holding that second target temperature for at least fifteen minutes; and f. repeating the process at least two times, consecutively resulting in a treated material without fractures.