| Base Metal | (english) (1) The metal present in the largest proportion in an alloy; (2) the metal to be brazed, cut or welded; (3) after welding the part of the metal that was not melted during the process. |
| Basket Screen | (english) A first stage in-line water filter for water delivered from the New Blowing Room Pump Room to the Blast Furnace. The strainer contains an electric-driven rotary sieve that catches particulates and prevents them from entering the water system. |
| Bent Axis Pumps | (english) In this pump, the pistons are at an angle to the drive shaft and Thrust Plate. The piston block shaft is connected to the drive shaft by a universal joint, not shown. The drive shaft, thrust plate, piston block shaft, and piston block all revolve. The connecting rods are attached to the thrust plate and revolve with it, unlike the swash plate pump where the piston rods slide past a stationary swash plate. The outlet ports are semi-circular holes in the Valve Plate, shown on the far right of the animation on edge and in a head-on view below, right. As the pump revolves, half the pistons suck in fluid as they pass over the intake port. The other pistons discharge their fluid through the outlet port. This pump should be compared to the radial piston pump, swash plate pump, and wobble pump. |
| Blow Down | (english) Process that rids boiler feed water of solids and maintains the proper chemical balance of the feed water. Blow down can also be used to rid drum(s) of excess water. |
| Blowhole 2 | (english) A cavity which was produced during the solidification of metal by evolved gas, which in failing to escape is held in pockets. |
| Blush | (english) A coating defect consisting of the whitening of a cured film which results in a translucent or opaque appearance with accompanying loss of gloss. Blushing usually occurs during the pasteurization or steam processing of films which are undercured or water sensitive. |
| Boiler | (english) A closed vessel in which water, is transformed into steam at a given pressure and temperature under controlled conditions. |
| Brazing | (english) Joining metals by fusion of nonferrous alloys that have melting points above 800 F (425C), but lower than those of the metals being joined. May be accomplished by a torch. Filler metal is ordinarily in rod form in torch brazing; whereas in furnace and dip brazing the work material is first assembled and the filler metal may then be applied as wire, washers, clips, bands, or may be bonded, as in brazing sheet. |
| Breakout | (english) An accident caused by the failure of the walls of the hearth of the furnace resulting in liquid iron or slag (or both) flowing uncontrolled out of the blast furnace. |
| Bright Dipping | (english) Chemical polishing of aluminum, often by treatment with a mixture of nitric acid and phosphoric acid, yielding a mirror-shiny (specular) highly reflective surface. It is almost always followed by anodizing to protect the surface and provide some choice of color. |