| Acid-Brittleness | (english) Brittleness resulting from pickling steel in acid; hydrogen, formed by the interaction between iron and acid, is partially absorbed by the metal, causing acid brittleness. |
| Aecm, Ae1, and Ae3 | (english) Equilibrium transformation temperatures in steel. |
| Agglomerating Processes | (english) "Fine particles of limestone (flux) and iron ore are difficult to handle and transport because of dusting and decomposition, so the powdery material usually is processed into larger pieces. The raw material's properties determine the technique that is used by mills. 1) SINTER Baked particles that stick together in roughly one-inch chunks. Normally used for iron ore dust collected from the blast furnaces. 2) PELLETS Iron ore or limestone particles are rolled into little balls in a balling drum and hardened by heat. 3) BRIQUETTES Small lumps are formed by pressing material together. Hot Iron Briquetting (HBI) is a concentrated iron ore substitute for scrap for use in electric furnaces. |
| Aging 1 | (english) A change in the properties of certain metal and alloys (such as steel) that occurs at ambient or moderately elevated temperatures after a hot working heat treatment or cold working operation. Typical properties impacted are hardness, yield strength, tensile strength, ductility, impact value, formability, magnetic properties, etc. See also Non-aging. |
| Bainite | (english) A eutectoid transformation product of ferrite and a fine dispersion of carbide, generally formed at temperatures below 840 to 930 F (450 to 500 C): upper bainite is an aggregate containing parallel lath-shape units of ferrite, produces the so-called feathery appearance in optical microscopy, and is formed at temperatures above about 660 F (350 C); lower bainite consists of individual plate-shape units and is formed at temperatures below about 660 F (350 C). Also, a slender, needle-like (acicular) microstructure appearing in spring steel strip characterized by toughness and greater ductility than tempered Martensite. Bainite is a decomposition product of Austenite best developed at interrupted holding temperatures below those forming fine pearlite and above those giving Martensite. |
| Balanced Steel | (english) Steels in which the deoxidisation is controlled to produce an intermediate structure between a rimmed and killed steel, Sometimes referred to as semi-killed steels, they possess uniform properties throughout the ingot and amongst their applications are boiler plate and structural sections. |
| Batch Anneal | (english) The process by which a large, stationary stack of steel coils (4 coils high) is subjected to a long heat-treating cycle. This process enables the cold-rolled sheet to fully recrystallize into the softest possible product conforming to customer specifications. Controlling the recrystallization process makes a fine-grained microstructure easy to obtain, and minimizes the tendencies for retention of directional properties of the rolled steel which could produce undesirable shapes in the stamping of a cylindrical part such as a can. Also see Anneal and Continuous Anneal. |
| Bauxite | (english) The only commercial ore of aluminum, corresponding essentially to the formula Al2O3xH2O. |
| Bazooka | (english) Performs functions of Galvanneal Furnace; set of torches on wheels used to shoot flames onto a strip to further heat it. |
| Bending | (english) A preliminary forging operation to give the piece approximately the correct shape for subsequent forming. |