Metal Glossary

Designed to be a quick reference guide for customers, the Cashmores glossary provides definitions of the latest metal industry terms.

Metal Glossary

Designed to be a quick reference guide for customers, the Cashmores glossary provides definitions of the latest metal industry terms.

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Fatigue

The localised, progressive and permanent damage or structural change that occurs to a material subjected to repeated, fluctuating, loads that are lower, often much lower, than the static yield strength of the material. Good design is the key to minimising or mitigating fatigue problems.
Feedstock

A semi-finished material that is used to 'feed' the next process. For example continuously cast billet is the feedstock for extrusion and continuously cast rod or bar may be the feedstock for wire making.
Ferrite

A body centred cubic (BCC) phase found in most carbon and low alloy steels. It is magnetic and is why most steels themselves are magnetic. It transforms above 760°C into the non-magnetic, face centred cubic (FCC) phase austenite.
Ferritic Stainless Steels

Ferritic stainless steels are iron chromium alloys that contain a minimum of around 10.5% Chromium. They have a body centred cubic (BCC) ferrite microstructure. They contain little or no Nickel and hence are less expensive than austenitic stainless steels. They generally have somewhat better mechanical properties than the austenitic grades but have inferior corrosion resistance except, importantly, they do have superior stress corrosion cracking resistance.
Finstock

Narrow strip in the thickness range 0.2mm to 0.4mm used for finning of heat exchanger tubes in applications such as air conditioning.
Fixed Mandrel

A device for producing hollow extrusions of regular cross section. The tapered mandrel is attached to the main extrusion ram and passes through the hollow billet. As the ram moves forward the mandrel passes, with the billet, through the die giving a product slightly tapering in wall thickness along its length. The mandrel is tapered to facilitate its removal when extrusion is complete.
Flaring Test
Drift Test

A test for the weld integrity of a welded tube, usually carried out to BS1139. All batches of Scaffolding Tube undergo this test.
Related Terms: Scaffolding Tube
Flash Annealing

Annealing of a work-piece by rapid heating and a short dwell time at the appropriate temperature.
Flatness

The property of having a horizontal surface without any slope, tilt, or curvature, i.e. that of a flat plane. In practice a perfectly flat surface is probably unobtainable so there will be a flatness tolerance.
Related Terms: Flatness Tolerance
Flatness Tolerance

A three-dimensional geometric tolerance that controls how much a product surface can deviate from a flat plane. The permitted deviation will depend upon the thickness of the sheet or plate varying between 0.2% and 0.5% of its width and length, usually measured over a 1 metre length.
Floating Mandrel

A tapered mandrel that is inserted into the hollow extrusion billet. It is not attached to the extrusion ram so is left free to centre itself in a hollow billet as it moves forward through the die as the ram advances and extrusion proceeds. The resulting product tapers slightly in wall thickness along the length.
Related Terms: Fixed Mandrel
Flotation

A mineral beneficiation technique used to concentrate ore by blowing air through a tank in which ore particles are suspended in water that contains additions that make the ore more hydrophilic. The ore clings to the bubbles and is scraped off as 'froth'.

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Metal Glossary

Metal Glossary

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