| Blister | (english) 1) Coating defect consisting of the formation of bubbles in a coating, which appear as hemispherical elevations. The blisters are hollow, and are usually caused by entrapped air or solvent. 2) A raised spot on the surface on the surface of metal due to expansion of gas which causes a subsurface metal separation such as inclusions and small laminations. |
| Blister 2 | (english) A defect in metal, on or near the surface, resulting from the expansion of gas in a subsurface zone. Very small blisters are called pinheads or pepper blisters. |
| Block Off | (english) 1) Wooden separators which are used at both the bottom of a lift and between IPM's (bundles) of a lift. 2) The act of placing 4x4s between the lifts in the piler's box. |
| 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. |
| Blue Annealing | (english) Heating hot rolled ferrous sheet in an open furnace to a temperature within the transformation range and then cooling in air, in order to soften the metal. The formation of a bluish oxide on the surface is incidental. |
| Blue Brittleness | (english) Brittleness exhibited by some steels after being heated to some temperature within the range of 300 (degrees) to 650 (degrees) F, and more especially if the steel is worked at the elevated temperature. Killed steels are virtually free of this kind of brittleness. |
| Blue Print | (english) A pen or ink line drawing reproduced (printed) on sensitized paper by direct exposure. |
| Boil | (english) Agitation of a bath of metal caused by the liberation of a gas beneath its surface. May be deliberately induced by the addition of oxidizing material to a bath containing excess carbon. In the later case it is called a carbon boil and CO or CO2 are liberated. |
| Bolster (die block) | (english) A “tool” or reinforcing part which supports the backer-which, in turn, supports an extruding die against the pressure of extrusion. |
| Boron (chemical symbol B) | (english) Element N. 5 of the periodic system. Atomic weight 10.82. It is gray in color, ignites at about 1112 (degrees) F. and burns with a brilliant green flame, but its melting point in a non-oxidizing atmosphere is about 4000 (degrees) F. Boron is used in steel in minute quantities for one purpose only- to increase the hardenability as in case hardening and to increase strength and hardness penetration. |