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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  • Stainless Steel
    Stainless Steel is the term used to describe an extremely versatile family of engineering materials, which are used primarily for their corrosion and heat resistant properties. All Stainless Steels are alloys of Iron and Chromium, with a minimum Chromium content of about 10.5%, and with varying Carbon content. This Chromium content develops a self-repairing Chromium Oxide surface film which prevents the surface rusting typical of many other types of steel. Higher Chromium content will further enhance corrosion resistance and some stainless grades also contain other alloying elements including Nickel and Molybdenum. Most commonly you will see reference to “austenitic stainless steel”, “ferritic stainless steel”, “martensitic stainless steel”, “duplex stainless steel” and “precipitation hardening stainless steel”.
  • Stainless Steel Designations
    Stainless steels are governed by a wide range of Proprietary, National, European and International standards. This range of standards has led over time to the use of a number of designation systems. Many people are familiar, and comfortable with, the 3-digit system that originated in the USA and was adopted into former British Standards in which 2xx and 3xx designations were applied to austenitic grades (e.g. 201, 304, 304L) 4xx designations were applied to ferritic and martensitic grades (e.g. 410, 430) In Europe these have now been replaced by BSEN numbers of the type 1.4xxx (e.g. 1.4301) although the American 3-digit system is still widely used.
    More information: https://www.cashmores.co.uk/datasheets/?gId=5
  • Straightness Tolerance
    Camber
    The permitted deviation from a true straight line, or bow, within a specified length of a product. The usual methods to determine such a deviation are with a straight edge and dial gauge or a flat plate and feeler gauges.
  • Stress
    Stress is the measure of the forces acting within a deformable body or work-piece when it is under load. These forces will seek to resist any permanent change in shape of the body or work-piece until the yield point strength of the material has been exceeded.
  • Stress Corrosion Cracking
    Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) is the rapid and often abrupt failure of a normally ductile metal or alloy caused by residual or other stresses in the work-piece and in the presence of specific corroding agents. It is temperature dependent. Austenitic stainless steels are susceptible in chloride environments temperatures above 60°C. Ferritic grades are immune to this form of attack.
  • Stress Relieving
    An annealing heat treatment used to reduce internal stresses in steel after fabrication.
    Related Terms: Annealing
  • Swaging
    A cold forging process in which the dimensions of a tube are altered by blows delivered rapidly against its outside diameter. An internal mandrel is usually used.
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