| Beryllium Copper | (english) An alloy of copper and 2-3% beryllium with optionally fractional percentages of nickel or cobalt. Alloys of this series show remarkable age-hardening properties and an ultimate hardness of about 400 Brinell (Rockwell C43). Because of such hardness and good electrical conductivity, beryllium-copper is used in electrical switches, springs, etc. |
| Bessemer Process | (english) A process for making steel by blowing air through molten pig iron contained in a refractory lined vessel so that the impurities are thus removed by oxidation. |
| Bi-Coil | (english) Also BY-COIL. Tin Mill term. Customers buy "by coil" or "bi-coil" rather than cut sheets |
| Billet | (english) (1) A semi-finished section hot rolled from a metal ingot, with a rectangular cross section usually ranging from 16 to 36 in., the width being less than twice the thickness. Where the cross section exceeds 36 in., the term “bloom” is properly but not universally used. Sizes smaller than 16 in. are usually termed “bars”; a solid semi-finished round or square product which has been hot worked by forging, rolling, or extrusion. (2) A semi-finished, cogged, hot rolled or continuous-cast metal product of uniform section, usually rectangular with radiused corners. Billets are relatively larger than bars. |
| Billet container | (english) The part of the extrusion press into which the billet to be extruded is placed. |
| Binary Alloy | (english) An alloy containing two elements, apart from minor impurities, as brass containing the two elements copper and zinc. |
| Bismuth | (english) Chemical symbol Bi. A soft, course cystalline heavy metal with a silvery white color and pinkish tinge; usually produced as a by-product of copper,leaad and other metals. Has a thermal conductivity lower than all other metals except mercury. Used as alloying agent but leading use is in pharmaceuticals. |
| Bit, Tool (cutter) | (english) A hardened steel bar or plate that is shaped accordidng to the operation to be performed and the material to be machined. |
| Black Iron | (english) Uncoated steel product. |
| Black Oil Tempered Spring Steel Strip (Scaleless Blue) | (english) A flat cold rolled usually .70/.80 medium high carbon steel strip, blue-black in color, which has been quenched in oil and drawn to desired hardness. While it looks and acts much like blue tempered spring steel and carries a Rockwell hardness of C44/47, it has not been polished and is lower in carbon content. Used for less exacting requirements than clock spring steel, such as snaps, lock springs, hold down springs, trap springs, etc. It will take a more severe bend before fracture than will clock spring, but it does not have the same degree of spring-back. |