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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SAE600, SAE

The US Society of Automobile Engineers -the body that develops standards and specifications for the U.S. motor industry. The value and applicability of SAE standards is widely appreciated and they are now used in other industries and countries. For example, Cast Leaded Gunmetal to specification SAE660 is popular in the UK.
Scaffolding Tube

A ‘welded’ tube, size 1 29/32 inch O/D x 7 swg wall thickness (7swg = 0.176 inch / 4.47mm) used for scaffolding that has been Drift Tested
Scalping

Mechanical removal of oxide and contamination from surface of a cast slab prior to hot rolling.
Sealing of Anodic Coatings

A post anodising treatment to close layer porosity and reduce absorbency.
Season Cracking

So called because it was first observed, in the rainy season in India, on deep drawn 70/30 brass cartridge cases that had been stored in horse stables where the atmosphere contained Ammonia.
Related Terms: Stress Corrosion
Segregation

The non uniform distribution in the microstructure of alloying elements during the solidification of an ingot, billet or slab. Some non metallic impurities may also be segregated during solidification.
Self-Quenching Alloy

An alloy whose critical quench rate from its solution treatment temperature is slower than the rate of cooling in still air. This means that the alloying elements will be held in solid solution even after cooling in still air.
Sensitisation

Sensitisation occurs because Chromium has a higher affinity for Carbon than does Iron. Welding and some heating cycles provide the thermal energy for chromium carbides form in preference and these precipitate within the microstructure. This process causes the steel to become susceptible to corrosion as the matrix areas around the carbide are depleted in Chromium and cannot form the protective oxide film.
Related Terms: Carbide, Inter-granular Corrosion, Sensitised, Stabilised Grades
Sensitised

This describes the condition of a stainless steel that, having been welded or otherwise thermally processed, now has chromium carbide particles present in the grain boundaries. In this condition the steel becomes susceptible to corrosion as the matrix areas around the carbide are depleted in chromium and cannot form the protective oxide film.
Related Terms: Carbide, Inter-granular Corrosion, Sensitisation, Stabilised Grades
Shate

A term used for rolled material where the thickness lies between that of cold rolled sheet and hot rolled plate, typically 4 to 10 mm. the finish may be hot or cold rolled.
Shear Strength

The maximum stress that a material can sustain when loaded in shear. As a very rough guide for aluminium alloys the maximum shear strength is about 60 to 65% of the ultimate tensile strength and the yield strength in shear is 50 to 55% of the 0.2% Proof Stress.
Shear Test

A test in which the test piece is progressively loaded to fracture in shear to measure its shear strength.

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Metal Glossary

Metal Glossary

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