Alloy ... I feel curmudgeonly
05-06-16, 09:22 PM
#51
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was I the only one to think that a curmudgeon would definitely use "alloy" when referring to aluminum? A pedant, on the other hand, would object
05-09-16, 08:59 AM
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05-09-16, 11:44 AM
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05-10-16, 11:09 AM
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05-10-16, 11:44 AM
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I'll spare you the excruciating detail, and ignore the indirect insult.
Titanium alloys are sometimes referenced by the percentage of the first or first and second alloying elements.
a 6/4 alloy might refer to one with 6% aluminum /4% vanadium, which is fairly common for mechanical applications. I never heard of a 3.5/2.5, but it might be an alloy used elsewhere.
Keep in mind that this is a shorthand nomenclature, so only works some of the time. Also note that this identifies the alloy, but tells you nothing about it's suitability for the purpose or how it might compare with other Ti alloys. For this you'd have to take the word of the seller, or consult a metallurgist.
In this way, Ti is no different from steel or other metals. You might understand enough to know that the main difference between 4130 and 4140 chrome/moly steel is the percentage of carbon, but that still won't tell you which is better for which application.
Titanium alloys are sometimes referenced by the percentage of the first or first and second alloying elements.
a 6/4 alloy might refer to one with 6% aluminum /4% vanadium, which is fairly common for mechanical applications. I never heard of a 3.5/2.5, but it might be an alloy used elsewhere.
Keep in mind that this is a shorthand nomenclature, so only works some of the time. Also note that this identifies the alloy, but tells you nothing about it's suitability for the purpose or how it might compare with other Ti alloys. For this you'd have to take the word of the seller, or consult a metallurgist.
In this way, Ti is no different from steel or other metals. You might understand enough to know that the main difference between 4130 and 4140 chrome/moly steel is the percentage of carbon, but that still won't tell you which is better for which application.
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05-10-16, 12:49 PM
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Is 4130 just a trade number, or does it mean something, like 4.1% of something and 3.0% of something else?
05-10-16, 12:50 PM
#61
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The carbon composition of the alloy is denoted by the last two digits of the SAE specification number, in hundredths of a percent
See here for the first two digits: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_steel_grades
05-10-16, 03:21 PM
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Generally aluminium only applies to aluminum grades higher than 49°.
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05-10-16, 03:32 PM
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Note that these are the AISI/SAE codes used in the USA. Other countries have their own systems. If you go back to the Wiki linked earlier, and scroll to the bottom you'll find conversion charts for the most common codes of the most common grades.
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05-10-16, 05:17 PM
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here's a more detailed breakdown of the numbering system including the rough percentages of alloying metals.
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05-10-16, 05:36 PM
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People have misconceptions about steel alloys, thinking that they include large amounts of the other elements. The reality is that steel is (by definition) an alloy of iron and carbon. And alloy steel is steel with a bit of this and a bit of that added. Other than stainless steels that may be only about 75% iron, steels are typically well over 95% iron.
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Last edited by FBinNY; 05-10-16 at 05:48 PM.
05-10-16, 05:51 PM
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Those sound like low percentages but their effect on the physical properties of the steel or aluminum are profound.
05-10-16, 06:20 PM
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Sure. Plus, no one would buy an iron bike.
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05-10-16, 06:32 PM
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Andy_K,
You mean my old Schwinn Varsity wasn't made of cast iron or lead after all? Wow, it sure felt like it! LOL.
You mean my old Schwinn Varsity wasn't made of cast iron or lead after all? Wow, it sure felt like it! LOL.
05-11-16, 02:32 PM
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If the misuse of the term "alloy" keeps you up at night, consider how we cyclists can "clip in" or "clip out" of "clipless" pedals.
05-11-16, 04:11 PM
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05-11-16, 04:17 PM
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You can only call it aluminium if you bend your knee to the Queen of England. If you are in "Merica, it's aluminum!
On a side note, even the discoverer could decide what to call it.
On a side note, even the discoverer could decide what to call it.
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05-11-16, 04:21 PM
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Which would include just about every alloy of aluminum commercially available. The 7000 series has a fairly high zinc content but most of the other alloying agents are present in only tiny amounts.
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!