Describing the effect of tempering on hysteresis curves of 54SiCr6 spring steel by the effective field model

► Hysteresis loops of quenched and tempered spring steel are investigated. ► The effective field model due to stress is used for tempered samples. ► In the 300-500 C tempering range the model shows excellent results. ► The effective field by direct compression and by quenching and tempering is similar.