Mold steels are used for plastic molding and certain die-casting applications and are designated as group P steels in the AISI classification system. The fabrication and performance requirements that differentiate them from other types of tool steels are described in this chapter. It provides information on hubbing and machined cavity grades of mold steels and describes the performance of the corrosion-resistant mold steels. The chapter discusses the processes involved in forging, annealing, stress relieving, carburizing, hardening, and tempering of mold steels. It presents the selection criteria and applications of mold steels.

The power generating industry has become proficient at predicting how long a component will last under a given set of operating conditions. This chapter explains how such predictions are made in the case of boiler tubes. It identifies critical damage mechanisms, progressive failure pathways, and relevant test and measurement procedures. It describes life assessment methods based on hardness, wall thickness, scale formation, microstructure, and creep. It also includes a case study on the determination of the residual life of a secondary superheater tube.

This appendix is a compilation of terms and definitions associated with the processing, microstructure, and properties of powder metal stainless steels.

This chapter explains how mechanical processes, including erosion, cavitation, impingement, and fretting, contribute to the effects of corrosion in aluminum alloys. It describes the two main types of erosion-corrosion and the factors involved in cavitation and liquid impingement erosion along with testing and prevention methods. It also provides information on fretting corrosion and fretting fatigue.

Several hydraulic pumps that failed in service on a particular type of aircraft were received for analysis. Hydraulic testing was not an option, so the pumps were disassembled and their plungers and cylinders were cleaned and examined. Based on their observations, investigators concluded that cavitation erosion damaged the plungers, causing them to seize.

This chapter discusses the causes and effects of wear along with prevention methods. It covers abrasive, erosive, erosion-corrosion, grinding, gouging, adhesive, and fretting wear. It also discusses various forms of contact-stress fatigue, including subsurface-origin fatigue, surface-origin fatigue, subcase-origin fatigue (spalling fatigue), and cavitation fatigue.

This chapter is a compilation of terms and definitions related to component failure analysis.

This chapter provides helpful guidelines for selecting a surface treatment for a given application. It identifies important design factors and applicable treatments for common design scenarios, materials, and operating conditions. It explains why heat treatments and finishing operations may be required before or after processing and how to estimate or predict coating thickness, case depth, hardness, and the likelihood of distortion. It also addresses related issues and considerations such as part handling and fixturing, surface preparation and cleaning requirements, processability, aesthetics, and the influence of design features.

This chapter is a compilation of terms and definitions related to component failure analysis.

This chapter includes a comprehensive set of definitions used in powder-binder processing.

The wear caused by contact stress fatigue is the result of a wide variety of mechanical forces and environments. This chapter discusses the characteristics of four types of contact stress fatigue on mating metal surfaces: surface, subsurface, subcase, and cavitation. Features and corrective actions for these contact stress fatigue are discussed. The chapter also lists some possible ways to reduce the cavitation fatigue problem.

This chapter describes the nature of the problems arising from using advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) and discusses potential remedies to minimize the adverse effects that may limit the adoption of AHSS in the automotive industry. The discussion provides information on press energy, springback, residual stress, die wear, hot forming, downgaging limits, welding, binders, draw beads, and tool material wear.

This chapter discusses the effects of corrosion on boiler tube surfaces exposed to water and steam. It describes the process of corrosion, the formation of scale, and the oxides of iron from which it forms. It addresses the primary types of corrosion found in boiler environments, including general corrosion, under-deposit corrosion, microbially induced corrosion, flow-accelerated corrosion, stress-assisted corrosion, erosion-corrosion, cavitation, oxygen pitting, stress-corrosion cracking, and caustic embrittlement. The discussion is supported by several illustrations and relevant case studies.

Ductile fracture results from the application of an excessive stress to a metal that has the ability to deform permanently, or plastically, prior to fracture. Careful examination and knowledge of the metal, its thermal history, and its hardness are important in determining the correct nature of the fracture features. This chapter is a detailed account of the general characteristics and microstructural aspects of ductile fracture with suitable illustrations. It describes some of the complicating factors extraneous to the fracture itself.

This chapter defines steel castings, explains when to use steel castings, gives an overview of casting processes, and gives examples of suitable applications for cast steel parts.

This chapter presents a glossary of foundry terms.