Metal Glossary

Designed to be a quick reference guide for customers, the Cashmores glossary provides definitions of the latest metal industry terms.

Metal Glossary

Designed to be a quick reference guide for customers, the Cashmores glossary provides definitions of the latest metal industry terms.
  • Deep Drawing
    The forming of deeply recessed parts (such as beverage cans and hollow-ware) by means of plastic deformation of the material. As deep drawing does not uniformly cold work the blank there will be variations in the hardness and annealing response around the final part.
  • Deep Drawing
    A cold deformation process that uses a punch and die to produce hollow cylindrical components with a high length to diameter ratio (such as cartridge cases). It imparts significant cold work to the work piece.
  • Deep Drawing Sheet
    Sheet produced with specific characteristics that permit deformation by deep drawing – such as softness, high ductility and low tensile strength.
  • Deformation
    The change in dimensions and/or shape of a material or work-piece due to applied forces. Deformation can be elastic or permanent. Elastic deformation happens when the work-piece returns to is previous dimensions or shape when an applied load below the yield point is removed. Loads above the yield point cause permanent deformation when the change in shape or dimension is not reversed when the load is removed.
  • Delayed Ageing, Delayed Age Hardening
    Retarding natural ageing by holding the alloy below room temperature. If the alloy is raised to room temperature then natural ageing will proceed at the expected rate.
  • Deoxidised Copper
    Copper with a deoxidiser added to reduce Oxygen. Phosphorus is usually added but other elements such as boron or magnesium may be used. Welding and brazing properties are improved, but conductivity is somewhat impaired.
  • Descaling
    The removal of surface scale from hot worked or heat treated products by acid pickling or mechanical means such as grit or shot blasting. Caution is advised if stainless steels are mechanically descaled as blasting media can be embedded in the surface and act as corrosion initiation sites. It can also refer to the removal of scale formed during hot working processes by the application of water, coal dust, brushwood, oil, etc.
  • Die
    Extrusion Die
    The hardened steel aperture through which a heated extrusion billet is pushed to form an extruded profile shape. There are 3 types of die: Flat Die – For extruding solid shapes Porthole Die – For extruding hollow shapes – This leaves one or two ‘weld’ seams along the length of the extrusion so tube produced in this way is called Welded Tube. Flat Die with Mandrel – For extruding seamless hollow shapes and seamless tube
  • Die Drawing
    A CAD Drawing of the extrusion die showing exact detail of the shape of the profile.
  • Die Lines
    Continuous longitudinal lines that are formed on extruded and drawn products by minor irregularities, or pick up, on the bearing surfaces of the die.
  • Differential Annealing
    The localised heating of part of a blank so that only specific areas are annealed.
  • Diffusion (in clad material)
    The migration of alloying elements from the core into the cladding layer during thermal treatment. This can be detrimental to the properties and behaviour of both the core and cladding.