Process in which the temperature of the steel is enough so that its crystalline structure (atomic position) corresponds to that of the austenite.
In some elements like the Iron, the atoms can change of position when varying the temperature. With each atomic position, the material has different properties. The austenization of the steel is carried out by the beneficial properties that the steel has for its formation in its austenitic state.
Austenization is also performed to achieve a reordering of the crystalline structure by severe cooling, so that martensite is obtained, which is the constituent of the steel of greater hardness characteristic of the quenching.