Mechanical properties — properties relating to material behavior under load in ordinary mechanical tests, for example elasticity, tensile strength, elongation, hardness.
Toughness — the property of a metal (alloy) to elongate before fracture when a load is applied.
Magnetic permeability — the relative ease with which a ferromagnetic material can support a magnetic field.
Heat resistance (hot strength) — the ability to withstand mechanical loads at high temperatures.
Heat resistance (scale resistance) — the ability of metallic materials to resist chemical destruction of the surface.
Hot shortness — the property of steel to crack during forming (forging, stamping, rolling) at red or yellow heat temperatures (850–1150°C).
Red hardness (hot hardness) — the ability of steel to retain high hardness and wear resistance when heated to red-heat temperatures.
Ductility — a property of metals that allows them to be mechanically deformed in the cold state without fracture. In steel ductility is usually measured by elongation and reduction of area determined in a tensile test.
Elongation — a measure of ductility linked to measuring tensile strength and the percentage elongation a strip withstands before rupture. Usually expressed as a percentage of the original gauge length.
Creep — time-dependent deformation of a metal or alloy occurring under load.
Hardenability — a property determining the depth and distribution of hardness of an alloy after heating and quenching.
Strength — the ability of a metal to absorb energy and deform plastically before fracture.
Ultimate strength — the maximum load applied to rupture a tensile test specimen divided by the specimen’s original cross-section. Also called ultimate tensile strength.
Yield strength — the load per unit of original cross-section at which noticeable increase in deformation occurs in mild steel without increase in load, i.e. at constant or reduced load.
Elastic limit — the maximum stress a material can undergo without permanent deformation.
Hardness — a material’s resistance to plastic deformation by indentation or penetration. Determined by metals’ strength and ductility. Hardness of metals is generally measured by indentation methods.
Resistivity — a material’s resistance to the flow of electric current.
Fatigue — change in mechanical and physical properties of metals arising under prolonged action of cyclically changing loads.
Brittleness — fracture of metal under impact loads or a large temperature difference.
Elasticity — a property allowing a material to return to its original shape and dimensions.
Creating precision alloys with predetermined parameters requires knowledge of metals’ characteristics and properties. At every production stage thorough laboratory control is carried out. For example, the testing laboratories of Petersburg Plant of Precision Alloys conduct spectral, physical, mechanical, and other analyses and tests, checking chemical composition, physical properties, hardness and strength of materials, as well as dimensions and surface finish of finished products. All this makes it possible to obtain quality products with the needed characteristics and certify them to international standards.
These and other terms from the metallurgical industry in alphabetical order are presented in the Metallurgy Alphabet section.
