Throughout our site we use a number of different terms relevant to the metal fabrication industry and that is why we have created a glossary of terms to make your visit easier.
Additions:
Materials added to molten steel to produce the desired steel grade. Grades determine the quality of steel, a good grade is essential for manufacturing metal driveway gates.
Alloy:
A substance with metallic properties which is made from two or more chemical elements. For example, steel is an alloy of iron with carbon and stainless steel alloys are a combination of iron, chromium and nickel. This is where stainless steel gets it’s name from as it is very resistant to corrosion and rusting.
Alloy Steel:
As stated above, steel is an alloy or iron & carbon and is only considered to be genuine steel when there is 1.65% manganese, 0.60% silicon and 0.60 copper within it’s mass.
Annealing:
Annealing is a process with the aim of softening steel which involves a heating and cooling process. We need to anneal metals to ensure they do not chip or crack under pressure caused by machinery.
Argon Shroud:
By using argon gas we can protect molten steel from oxygen.
Bloom:
A piece of steel which is not finished.
Casting:
When molten metal is poured into a mold or a metal object such as an ingot. For example, on a metal gate, a finial can be made by casting.
Casting Powder:
When molten metal is poured into a mold it sticks to the mold, to prevent this ‘casting powder’ is spread over the molds surface.
Ductility:
When a material is ‘ductile’, it is able to withstand manipulation without rupturing.
Fatigue:
Cyclic stress can cause metal to rupture or bend. Cyclic stress happens when tension is created repeatedly, hence the word ‘cyclic’. Badly designed and fitted metal gates can falter at the hinges if the gate is too heavy for example.
Galvanising:
Galvanising is the process of coating iron and steel with a thin layer of zinc and passing it through a molten bath at a temperature of 460°C.
When exposed to this atmosphere, the zinc reacts with oxygen to form zinc oxide, which then reacts further with carbon dioxide to form zinc carbonate. This creates a strong material that stops corrosion by protecting the steel below from the elements, which can cause rusting, to ensure longevity and durability.
Ingot:
An ingot is a metal shape suitable for further processing.