Glossary

Annealing
To subject (glass or metal) to a process of heating and slow cooling in order to toughen & reduce brittleness.

Anode
The positive pole of an electrolytic cell. The anode is the electrode where oxidation occurs.

ASTM
Abbreviation for the American Society of Testing Materials. The organization sets standards for testing, evaluating, and manufacturing of materials.

Austenitic
A nonmagnetic solid solution of ferric carbide or carbon in iron, used in making corrosion-resistant steel.

Cathode
The electrode opposite the anode. Electrons enter at the cathode end causing a reduction condition where the anode end undergoes a n oxidation condition.

Corrosion
The electrochemical deterioration of a metal caused by atmospheric or induced chemical reactants.

Electrolyte
A solution that will conduct an electrical current. Rainwater carrying dissolved salts picked up from the atmosphere is an electrolyte.

Expansion Coefficient
The rate of expansion of a material related to the change in temperature.

Fatigue
A condition which develops from repeated or cyclical stresses below the tensile strength of the material. This condition leads to eventual rupture of the material.

Ferrous
Of or containing iron, especially with valence 2 or a valence lower than in a corresponding ferric compound.

Flux
An etching compound used to prepare metal surfaces by removing oxides and scale compounds.

Galvanic Corrosion
Corrosion conditions that are created from two dissimilar metals or between two dissimilar areas on metal. An electrical current develops between the metals ans the more reactive metal decays in relation to the more noble metal.

Galvanize
The coating of metal with zinc.

Malleable
Metal that is easily formed or shaped.

Oil Canning
The visible distortion of a flat metal surface.

Patina
The surface oxide, carbonate, sulfate, or chloride that develops on the surface of metal.

Temper
The hardness and strength produced by mechanically working and thermal treatment.

Tensile Strength
The ratio of maximum load to unit cross section. Also know as ultimate strength. The resistance of a material to a force tending to tear it apart, measured as the maximum tension the material can withstand without tearing.

Terne
A lead-tin alloy coating.

Terne II
A zinc-tin alloy coating.

White Bronze
A term to describe the copper alloy Nickel Silver. Also called German Silver or Dairy Bronze.

Yield Strength
As commonly applied to copper and copper-base alloys, yield strength is the stress which will produce a .5 percent extension under load. It is known as "Yield Strength" (.5 percent extension) The stress a material can withstand without permanent deformation.


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