glossary

Unit of electrical rate of flow. Amperage is commonly referred to as the ?current? in an electrical circuit.

The process of heating a metal to a temperature below the critical range, followed by a relatively slow cooling cycle to induce softness and remove stresses.

A metal or alloy that has been heated and then cooled to remove internal stresses and to make the material less brittle.

Subjected to heat treatment. This usually involves heating, followed by relatively slow cooling of metals or alloys for the purpose of decreasing hardness and increasing the ease of machining or the cold-working characteristics. Annealing may be used to (a) remove effects of strain hardening resulting from cold work, (b) remove stresses found in castings, forgings, weldments and cold-worked metals, (c) improve machinability and cold-working characteristics, (d) improve mechanical and physical properties by changing the internal structure, such as by grain refinement, and to increase the uniformity of the structure and correct segregation, banding, and other structural characteristics.

Welding with direct current may set up a magnetic field in the steel plate being welded. This magnetic field causes the arc to flutter and blow, creating difficulty in controlling the arc.