This article describes the influence of steel chemical compositions and microstructure on machining processes. It discusses the various microstructural phases of standard carbon and alloy steels, which influence machinability. The article reviews the expected response of several traditional machining operations, such as turning, drilling, milling, shaping, thread cutting, and grinding, to the microstructure of standard steel grades. It also explains the technologies in non-traditional machining processes, such as abrasive waterjet cutting, electrical chemical grinding, and laser drilling.

This article provides an overview of the different classification and designation systems of wrought carbon steel and alloy steel product forms with total alloying element contents not exceeding 5″. It lists the quality descriptors, chemical compositions, cast or heat composition ranges, and product analysis tolerances of carbon and alloy steels. The major designation systems discussed include the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)-American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) designations, Unified Numbering System (UNS) designations, American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) designations, Aerospace Material Specification (AMS), and other international designations and specifications.

This article outlines the processes by which materials are selected to prevent or control localized corrosion, galvanic corrosion, and intergranular corrosion. It reviews the operating conditions and the design of candidate materials for material selection. The article discusses various corrosion-resistant materials, including ferrous and nonferrous metals and alloys, thermoplastics, reinforced thermosetting plastics, nonmetallic linings, glass, carbon and graphite, and catalyzed resin coatings. It examines an unusual form of intergranular corrosion known as exfoliation, which occurs in aluminum-copper alloys. The article also describes three types of erosion-corrosion: liquid erosion-corrosion, cavitation, and fretting. It concludes with information on the various factors to be considered for material selection, including minimum cost or economic design, minimum corrosion, minimum investment, and minimum maintenance.

This article discusses the process details of metal powder injection molding of microcomponents and the powder particle characteristics of feedstock and property requirements of binders. It reviews important characteristics to be considered in the processing steps: venting, channel diameters, binder segregation, binder degradation, feedstock supply, temperature control, demolding, debinding, and sintering. Finally, the article provides information on powder injection molding mold-filling simulation and two-component powder injection molding, offering a method for high-volume production of microcomponents made of multifunctional materials.

Macroetching is a procedure for revealing the large-scale structure of a metallic specimen, that is, the structure visible with the unaided eye, by etching an appropriately prepared surface. This article provides information on the basic procedures for macroetching as well as the apparatus used. It discusses selected etchants for efficient macroetching of various metals and their alloys, including iron, steel, high-alloy steels, stainless steels, high-temperature alloys, titanium, titanium alloys, aluminum, aluminum alloys, copper, and copper alloys. The article also describes various conditions that are revealed by the macroetching of aluminum.

This article addresses classifications and designations for carbon steels and low-alloy steels, particularly high-strength low-alloy (HSLA) steels, based on chemical composition, manufacturing methods, finishing method, product form, deoxidation practice, microstructure, required strength level, heat treatment and quality descriptors. It describes the effects of alloying elements on the properties and characteristics of steels. The article provides extensive tabular data pertaining to domestic and international designations of steels.

This article summarizes some of the effects of the major alloying elements in low-alloy steels and the heat treating for some common types of low-alloy steels. Coverage includes common alloys of the following low-alloy steel types: low-alloy manganese steels, low-alloy molybdenum steels, low-alloy chromium-molybdenum steels, low-alloy nickel-chromium-molybdenum steels, low-alloy nickel-molybdenum steels, low-alloy chromium steels, low-alloy chromium-vanadium steels, and low-alloy silicon-manganese steels. The article reviews heat treating parameters and processing considerations for each category of steel, including spherodizing, normalizing, annealing, hardening, and tempering.

The production and use of steel plate is aided by a system of standard designations and associated specifications defining composition, property, and performance ranges. This article contains an extensive amount of information on the designations and grades of plate products and how they are made. Although most steel plate is used in the hot-finished condition, some applications require one or more heat treating steps to mitigate imperfections and/or improve relevant qualities. The article discusses these interconnected factors as well as their impact on mechanical properties and critical fabrication issues, including formability, machinability, and weldability.

Cold-finished steel bars are carbon and alloy steel bar products (round, square, hexagonal, flat, or special shapes) that are produced by cold finishing previous hot-wrought bars. by means of cold drawing, cold forming, turning, grinding, or polishing (singly or in combination) to yield straight lengths or coils that are uniform throughout their length. Cold-finished bars fall into five classifications: cold-drawn bars; turned and polished bars; cold-drawn, ground, and polished bars; turned, ground, and polished bars; cold-drawn, turned, ground, and polished bars. Different size tolerances are applicable to cold-finished products, depending on shape, carbon content, and heat treatment. When used to identify cold-finished steel bars, the various quality descriptors are indicative of many characteristics, such as degree of internal soundness, relative uniformity of chemical composition, and relative freedom from detrimental surface imperfections. Cold drawing significantly increases machinability, tensile and yield strengths of steel bars. Two special die-drawing processes have been developed to give improved properties over those offered by standard drawing practices. These processes are cold drawing using heavier-than-normal drafts, followed by stress relieving; and drawing at elevated temperatures.

Electron beam hardening (EBH), with some special characteristics in comparison to other heat treatment technologies, allows beam deflection frequencies of up to 100 kHz. This article illustrates the principles of different thermal electron beam technologies, including beam-deflection, continuous EB interaction, EB flash, as well as multifield EB-deflection and multiprocess techniques. It characterizes the technical and technological possibilities for EBH in comparison to other surface-layer hardening processes. The article also discusses the technical design of electron beam facilities and the applications of EBH.

The properties of irons and steels are linked to the chemical composition, processing path, and resulting microstructure of the material. Processing is a means to develop and control microstructure by hot rolling, quenching, and so forth. This article describes the role of these factors in both theoretical and practical terms, with particular focus on the role of microstructure in various irons. These include bainite, pearlite, ferfite, martensite, austenite, ferrite-pearlite, ferrite-cementite, ferrite-martensite, graphite, and cementite. The article discusses the evolution of microstructural change in rail steels, cast iron, and steel sheet. It contains tables that list the mechanical properties and compositions of selected steels. The article also discusses the basis of material selection of irons and steels.

This article discusses the methods of pulp production, pulp processing, pulp bleaching, and paper manufacturing. It describes various types of digesters, their construction materials, the corrosion problems encountered, and methods to protect these digesters from corrosion. The article examines the corrosion problems in high-yield mechanical pulping, sulfite process, neutral sulfite semichemical pulping, chemical recovery, tall oil plants, wastewater treatment, and recovery boilers. It explains the stages of chlorine-based and nonchlorine bleaching, process water reuse for elemental chlorine-free and nonchlorine bleaching stages, selection of material for bleaching equipment, developments in oxygen bleaching, and the use of highly corrosion-resistant materials for bleach plant equipment. The article reviews the materials used in the construction of paper machine components and specific corrosion problems that affect them. It discusses the composition and corrosive nature of white water. The article also addresses the corrosion and chemical recovery associated with kraft pulping liquors.

This article summarizes the metallurgy of carbon and alloy steels, followed by discussions on their major mechanical properties, namely, static fracture toughness, dynamic fracture toughness, fatigue or sustained-load crack growth rates, and fatigue or sustained-load thresholds. It addresses fatigue crack propagation and sustained-load crack propagation, as well as the fundamental aspects of fracture in steels. The article illustrates the effects of variations in the alloy chemistry, microstructure, temperature, strain rate, and environment on various fracture toughness or crack growth rate parameters.