2024 ARP Catalog

25 4. What is “micro hardness?” Some parts are too small to be Rockwell hardness tested. They are placed in hard plastic and a microscope is used to place a small indenter into the metal. Using the microscope the length of the impression is measured. 5. How does modulus of elasticity refer to our products? The modulus of elasticity of all alloy steels is exactly the same – 30,000,000 psi. This is true whether it is heat-treated or not – whether it is 100,000 psi strength level or 300,000 psi. Metals are like a spring – put a load on them and they will stretch – double the load and they will stretch double. This is important in connecting rod bolts because by measuring the stretch we really are measuring the load. Load is what is important and measuring stretch of a given size and configuration bolt will indicate how much load is stretching the bolt. 6. What are metal carbides and what is their significance? The strength of all alloy and carbon steels is derived from the metal carbides formed during heat treat. The carbon in steels combines with iron, vanadium and with chromium, as well as many other metal alloy additions to form compounds, which are a very hard phase within the iron matrix. Tool steels generally have high carbon content (above .8%) and can be made very hard – but brittle. 7. What exactly is chrome? Chrome is the metal chromium and is typically used for plating because it is shiny. It is also used as an alloy addition to iron to form a stainless steel. A stainless steel must contain at least 12% chromium, but these lean chromium steels can still show some rust on the surface. Using 18% chromium will make a more rust resisting stainless. Exposing any stainless to oxygen at temperatures above 1200˚F will cause the chromium to join the oxygen and therefore leave the surface depleted in chromium. If it falls below 12% the surface will show rust. 8. What does it mean when a broken part looks crystallized? When the fracture face has a rocky appearance it is because the material had a very large grain structure. Basically the grain grew during manufacturing due to poor technique and handling. A properly processed part will have a silky smooth appearance which is an indication of fine grain size. So crystallization does not occur as a result of load or fatigue – it was present in the material at the time of manufacture. Metallurgy for the Non-Engineer FASTENER TECH

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