Additional Elements in Chemical Composition

[dengmech]

I am trying to find a certified material test report for ASTM A519 seamless mechanical tubing AISI 4140 that has no ambiguities with the requirements of the ASTM A519 spec. I have looked through a number of CMTR's I have on hand, and they all list additional elements above and beyond what is specified in the ASTM....The additional elements are typically Pb, Ca, Sn, N, V....depending on which CMTR you look at. Do these additional elements violate the spec, or are they acceptable? How much of them is acceptable? The ASTM spec doesn't provide any guidance on additional un-specified elements, for example no where does it say the balance of elements shall be iron or the total amount of other elements shall be less than (some number). Can anyone shed some light on how much or how many are allowable and state your reasoning / source?

Do you know where in ASTM it states minor elements that are not listed in the spec are outside the scope of the spec? Is it in ASTM A1040, Standard Guide for Specifying Harmonized Standard Grade Compositions for Wrought Carbon, Low-Alloy, and Alloy Steels

 

[EdStainless]

According to the ASTM rules minor elements that are not listed in the spec are outside the scope of the spec, meaning that there is no requirement as to their amount or even if they are reported.
Most reputable mills report minor elements that they know to be detrimental to the performance of the alloy, to show you that they control them.
When you add an element such that the alloy actually becomes another grade (V mod) then you must call it the new grade and not the original.

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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[IRstuff]

Boron is typically not reported in SS, but has a major impact as a leeched contaminant in one of our processes.

TTFN
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[dengmech]

Edstainless,

Thank you for your reply. Do you know where in ASTM it states minor elements that are not listed in the spec are outside the scope of the spec?

Is it in ASTM A1040, Standard Guide for Specifying Harmonized Standard Grade Compositions for Wrought Carbon, Low-Alloy, and Alloy Steels

Thank you

 

[EdStainless]

I don't think that it is in A1040. There is a discussion somewhere about this but I don't recall where it is printed. There is a general usage guide that is in the front of each volume, look there.

IR, you are leaching ppb levels of B? the solubility limits are so low there can't be more than a few ppm in an alloy, and that should be in solution. I wonder if it is coming from the surface.

We have a customer that brazes in vacuum using a self fluxing high B alloy on stainless. He requires low N levels to prevent the formation of BN in the braze joints.

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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[metengr]

Look at ASTM A 751 or ASME SA 751, SPECIFICATION FOR TEST METHODS, PRACTICES,
AND TERMINOLOGY FOR CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF STEEL PRODUCTS

 

[IRstuff]

Yeah, it's "special" and annoying. We spent a big chunk of a year dealing with it. It's indeed probably from the surface; I forget exactly what we had to do, but it included doing a surface treatment after the welds.

TTFN
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[TVP]

dengmech,

There is no extra ASTM standard to reference on the subject of chemical composition-- the requirements are explicitly defined in section 5.1 under Chemical Composition. If the element is not listed in Table 3, then there is no requirement to measure it or report it.