Technical Terms for Tubing

Please note that the definitions below are provided for reference purposes only. Annealing - A general term referring to the thermal treatment process involving heating and cooling, usually applied to change mechanical or physical properties, produce a desired microstructure.

Annealing (Bright Annealing) - An annealing process usually carried out in a controlled atmosphere furnace using a reducing atmosphere to achieve desired mechanical properties with minimum surface oxidation. The tube surface is relatively bright. Annealing (Normalizing) - An annealing process in which a steel is heated to a temperature that is above the upper transformation range and then cooled in air. A slight surface oxidation occurs during this process. The tube surface has a black or blue color. Annealing (Solution Annealing) - An annealing process in which stainless steel is heated to a suitable temperature to ensure the solution of constituents, such as chromium carbides, and cooled rapidly to hold these constituents in solution. Carbon Steel Tube - Steel tube containing only residual quantities of elements other than carbon and manganese. Typical industrial AISI designate grades include 1008, 1010, 1020, 1026, 1030, 1035 etc. Cold Drawing - The process of pulling a tube through a die and over a mandrel to reduce its diameter and/or wall thickness to a specific outside diameter, inside diameter or wall thickness. Higher tensile properties, tighter dementional tolerances, and improved surface finish are obtained due to the cold working at room temperature. Decarburization - The loss of carbon from the surface of ferrous alloy as a result of heating in a medium that reacts with the carbon. Dimensions of Tubing - A round tube section has three dimensions, any two of which may be measured. The three dimensions are outside diameter (OD), inside diameter (ID), and wall thickness (t or W). Nominal as applied to any of these dimensions refers to the theoretical or stated single value of that dimension. The dimensions ordinarily specified by the customer are termed "nominal". Maximum and Minimum referring to the greatest and least values of any dimension. Average dimensions are those secured by averaging a series of micrometer readings. Elongation - The amount of permanent extension in the vicinity of the fracture in

the tension test; usually expressed as a percentage of the original gauge length.

Fatigue - The tendency for a metal to break at a point that is considerably below the ultimate tensile strength due to the conditions of repeated cyclic stressing considerably below the ultimate tensile strength. Formability - The ease with which a metal can be shaped through plastic deformation. Evaluation of the formability of a metal involves measurement of strength, ductility, and the amount of deformation required to cause fracture. Hardenability - In a ferrous alloy, the property that determines the depth and distribution of hardness induced by quenching. Hardness - Resistance of metal to plastic deformation. Various hardness tests such as Rockwell, Brinell, Vickers and Knoop may be used. Heat-Affected Zone (HAZ) - That portion of the base metal that was not melted during welding, but whose microstructure and mechanical properties were altered by the heat. High-Strength Low-Alloy (HSLA) Steels - Steels designed to provide better mechanical properties and/or greater resistance to atmospheric corrosion than conventional carbon steels. They are not considered to be alloy steels in the normal sense because they are designed to meet specific mechanical properties rather than a chemical composition. Typical HSLA steels have minimum yield strengths 50 ksi, 60 ksi, 70 ksi or 80 ksi. The chemical composition of the specific HSLA steel may vary for different product thickness to meet mechanical property requirements. The HSLA steels have low carbon contents (0.05 to ~0.20% C) in order to produce adequate formability and weldability. Small quantities of chromium, nickel, molybdenum, copper, nitrogen, vanadium, niobium and titanium are used in various combinations.

Impact Test - A test to determine the energy absorbed in fracturing a test bar at high velocity. The typical test for tubing is a notch test with an artificial notch present and tested at the various temperatures. Imperfection - When referring to the physical condition of a product, any departure of a quality characteristic from its intended level or state. When referring to the dimensional condition of a product, any dimensional characteristic that is out of intended range. The existence of an imperfection does not imply nonconformance, nor does it have any implication as to the usability of a product in service. An imperfection should be rated on a scale of severity, in accordance

with applicable specifications, to establish whether or not the product is of acceptable quality.

Inclusion - A physical and mechanical discontinuity occurring within a metal product, usually consisting of nonmetallic foreign material. Inclusions are often capable of transmitting some structural stresses and energy fields, but to a noticeably different degree than from the parent material. The foreign particles are usually compounds, such as oxides, sulfides, silicates or combination of these. Killed Steel - During the steel making process, the molten metal as it comes from the furnace contains more or less oxygen in the form of dissolved oxides, the amount varying with the composition desired and with certain conditions of steel making. If certain elements such as manganese, silicon or aluminum are added in sufficient amounts to molten steel in the ladle, the metal will solidify quietly without evolution of gases. When processing rimmed steel and semi-killed steel, killed steel is one of the methods of deoxidizing. Killed steel is deoxidized with strong deoxidizing agent(s) to reduce the oxygen content to a minimum so that no reaction occurs between carbon and oxygen during solidification. Usually, killed steel has the best internal cleanliness condition. Mechanical Properties - The properties of a material that reveal its elastic and inelastic behavior when force is applied, thereby indicating its suitability for mechanical applications; for example tensile strength, yield strength, elongation, hardness, and fatigue limit. Physical Properties - Properties of a material that are relatively insensitive to structure and can be measured without the application of force; for example, density, electrical conductivity, coefficient of thermal expansion, magnetic permeability. Residual Stress - Macroscopic stresses that are set up within a metal as the result of non-uniform plastic deformation. This deformation may be caused by cold working or by drastic gradients of temperature from quenching or welding. Stainless - A trade name given to alloy steel that is corrosion and heat resistant. The chief alloying elements are chromium, nickel, molybdenum. By AISI definition, a steel is called "Stainless" when it contains 10.5 % or more chromium. Stress Relieving - A process of reducing residual stresses in a metal by heating the part to a suitable temperature and holding for a sufficient time. This treatment may be applied to relieve stresses induced by cold working or welding. Tensile Strength - The value obtained by dividing the maximum load observed during tensile straining until breakage occurs by the specimen cross-sectional area before straining. Also called "ultimate strength".

Tubing - A non-standardized hollow shaped product with a relatively uniform wall thickness, generally round and manufactured to specified requirements or dimensions. Chemical composition, mechanical properties and other characteristics may be required for applications in automotive, mechanical, pressure or structural uses. It is generally specified to two dimensions, i.e., outside diameter (OD) and wall, inside diameter (ID) and wall, or OD and ID. Welding, Electric Resistance - The method of joining metals by passage of an electric current through the metal, whereby the resistance of the metal results in a temperature increase at the joining surfaces sufficient to weld. Upset pressure is also applied to insure sound contact of the surfaces to be welded. Welding, Induction - A form of electric resistance welding wherein the welding heat is generated within the metal by resistance to the flow of an electric current induced in the metal by means of a circumferential coil. Welding, Inert Arc - Arc welding in an atmosphere of an inert gas which serves to protect the molten puddle from contamination and oxidation by preventing air from coming in contact with the metal while it is at elevated temperatures. Yield Strength - The stress at which a material exhibits a specified limiting deviation from proportionality of stress to strain. An offset of 0.2 %. is used for steel.