SAE AISI

Numbering Systems for Alloys

Ref:“Engineering Materials –
Propertieand Selection”, K.G. Budinski
and M. K. Budinski, 7th ed., Prentice Hall,
2002 (Chap. 8 – 16)
How can you tell the others exactly
which kind of material you want?
Figure 1 (a) In a blast furnace,
iron ore is reduced using coke
(carbon) and air to produce liquid
pig iron. The high-carbon content
in the pig iron is reduce by
introducing oxygen into the basic
oxygen furnace to produce liquid
steel. An electric arc furnace can
be used to produce liquid steel by
melting scrap. (b) Schematic of a
blast furnace operation. (Source:
www.steel.org. Used with
permission of the American Iron
and Steel Institute.)
What do these codes mean?
AISI 1020 steel
ASTM A 29 grade 1020 steel
UNS G10200
SAE 1006

6061-T6
3003-H38
What You Should Include in the
Specifications of a Material ?
Description: e.g. steel, hot-finished, low-
carbon, bar, ASTM A29 grade B
Dimension
Chemical composition
Mechanical properties
Dimension tolerance: LWH, flatness, etc.
Finish: hot-rolled, cold rolled, patterned
Special requirements: heat treatment,
texture, etc.
Ferrous Alloys
 Features of the Fe - Fe3C Diagram
Atomic % C arbon
5 10 15 20 25

1600

d
Temperature (°C)

1400 Liquid

g +Liquid
1200
1148°
4.3
g
(Austenite) 2.11

1000
Austenite 912° g +Fe C
3
800
Fe3C
0.77
727° Cementite
a Ferrite 600 0.02
a+ Fe C
3 Cementite

400
1 2 3 4 5 6 6.7

Weight % Carbon Fe C
3
Some Specifications applicable to Steel
Products and other Metals
Specifications

SAE-AISI Society of Automotive Engineers –

American Iron and Steel Institute
ASTM American Society for Testing and
(UNS) Materials (www.astm.org)
ASME American Society of Mechanical Engineers
MIL U.S. Department of Defense
AMS Aerospace Materials Specification
BS British Standards Institution
(http://www.bsi-global.com/index.xalter)
EN European Committee for Standardization
(http://www.cenorm.be)
Classificati
ons of
Steel
The Most Widely Used System
for Designating Steels SAE-AISI
Unified Numbering System (UNS)
 Developed by ASTM and
SAE
 Not a specification but only
identify an alloy covered
by other standards
 The 5 digits closely related
to the original identification
system. E.g. AISI 1020 =
G10200
 Adopted by the Copper
Development Association
as official identification
system for Cu alloys
Most Frequently Used Carbon and
Alloy Steels in the US

SAE 1010: formed sheet-metal parts

SAE 1020: general machine applications
SAE 1040: flame- or induction-hardened
parts
ASTM A36: structural steel
SAE 4140: high-strength machine parts
SAE 4340: high-strength machine parts
SAE 8620: carburized wear parts
 Example
Design of Surface-Hardening Treatments
for a Drive Train
Design the materials and heat treatments for an automobile
axle and drive gear

Figure 1 Sketch
of axle and
gear assembly .
Tool Steel Categories
Tool Steel Types
 High alloy content and thus high hardenability
 Melted by electric furnace for cleanliness and
alloy content control
 Melted in small heats and subjected to tight
quality control
Stainless Steel Family
Crucial Properties of Stainless Steels
A Repertoire of Stainless Steels
Type Uses
430 For rust resistance on decorative an
S43000 nonfunctional parts
416 Hardened to 30 HRC and use for jigs, fixtures
S41600 and base plates
420 Harden to 50-52 HRC for tools that do not
S42000 require high wear resistance (e.g. injection-
molding cavities, nozzles, holding blocks, etc)
440C Harden to 58-60 HRC for cutting devices,
S44004 punches and dies
A Repertoire of Stainless Steels
Type Uses

303 For fasteners and shafts where only rust or

S30300 splash and spill resistance are needed
304/L All types of chemical immersion
316/L All types of chemical immersion where 304 is
not adequate
17-4 PH High stress fasteners, shafting, agitators and
S17400 machine supports; age hardened
17-7 PH Harden to condition CH900 for chemical-
S17700 resistant springs