Glossary of Casting Terminology "T"
This glossary lists in alphabetical order casting industry terms and their explanations.
| Word/Expression | Explanation |
|---|---|
| tact time | A unit expressing the time required to perform a specific operation in a production process. The term derives from the baton a conductor uses (taktstock in German) to produce a uniform musical rhythm. |
| tap | A tool used to cut screw threads into the inside surface of a hole in the machining process of castings or other metals. |
| taper | When the surface shape of a casting or mold has a slope or gradient. |
| tapped pad | A cylindrical part machined with female threading on the inside and is typically fixed to a flat plate by welding or the like. |
| tapping temperature | The temperature of molten metal when poured out of a melting furnace into a ladle and the like. |
| tarnish | Discoloration. In casting, metals often tarnish during heat treatment. |
| tempering | The process of heating a quenched metal or a metal that has undergone solution heat treatment to an appropriate temperature and then maintaining said temperature in order to advance transformation or deposition of the structure and bring greater structural stabilization as well as the desired properties and state. |
| tensile test | A test for determining the mechanical properties of a specimen such as ultimate tensile strength, yield point and elongation, by tensioning it until failure. |
| thermal conductivity | A measure of the ease with which heat transfers from one substance to the other when there is a temperature difference between the two. Metals have a particularly high thermal conductivity. |
| thermal fatigue | When a metal becomes fatigued due to the continuous temperature changes caused by repeated heating, cooling, etc., and is either damaged or destroyed. |
| thermal insulating material | A material made of glass fibers, ceramic fibers, etc., that reduces heat transfer. In casting, this is used for maintaining the temperature of molds, melting furnaces, heat treatment furnaces and the like. |
| thermal spray | A surface treatment method in which a material for the process is heated and sprayed onto the target material to form a coating. This method is often used for repairing things like the core pins of a die casting machine or mold. More recently, it has been applied to the sliding surfaces of aluminum cylinder blocks, contributing to dramatic reductions in weight. |
| thermocouple | A sensor to measure temperature using a closed circuit created by welding the tips of two different kinds of metal wires. The difference in temperature between the two is measured at the bonding point through the thermoelectromotive force generated there. Thermocouple may also refer to the two kinds of metal wires. |
| thread | Refers to the peaks between the grooves that spiral down a screw. Their dimensions generally conform to standards defined by the Japan Industrial Standards (JIS) or other industrial standard bodies. |
| threaded rod | A screw without a head. Also referred to as a “full-thread screw.” |
| throttle valve | A valve set in the passage of a hydraulic pressure unit or the like that alters the cross-sectional area of the passage to adjust the volume of the fluid passing through it and thereby control flow rate. |
| tie bar | A polished cylindrical steel bar for sliding a movable platen on in a high-pressure die casting machine, a gravity casting machine or a low-pressure die casting machine. |
| tightness leak test | A test for confirming the presence or absence of a phenomenon whereby air leaks to the outside due to air pressure applied to the inside of a casting. Also called a “pressure leak test.” |
| tilt | The tilting of equipment or a mold in gravity casting by means of a hydraulic cylinder, etc., to fill the entire casting design and product shape with the molten metal inside a hopper, etc. |
| tilting cylinder | A hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder used for tilting equipment or a mold. |
| toggle linkage | A mechanism used for things like a die casting machine's clamping system or the clamp of a jig, etc. It has a linked structure composed of two links and a slider, and provides maximum force with the forward motion of a cross head. |
| tolerance | The allowable difference in the dimensions of a cast piece or the finished product after machining compared to the design dimensions. “Tolerance” implies the highest and lowest values of the acceptable range of deviance from the design dimensions. |
| torque | A moment of force that causes an object to rotate about an axis. |
| torque converter | A hydraulic mechanism that works to transfer the rotating power produced by an automobile engine through to an automatic transmission. |
| torsion | A twisting moment generated when a force couple is applied on one side of a product on the surface perpendicular to its axis. |
| total inspection | To inspect each and every one of the target products. It differs from a sampling inspection in which only a specified set of products from a given production lot are selected for inspection. |
| toughness | A measure of resistance a substance has to a brittle fracture or decline in strength due to fissure. |
| transverse rupture strength | A physical property value of the strength of a test piece made of core sand, etc., to resist bending when subjected to a bending test. |
| trimming | The removal of unnecessary burrs produced during casting with a mold or the like. |
| trough | A long, U-shaped conduit for moving fluids such as molten metal. |
| TUFFTRIDE® process (salt bath nitrocarburizing) |
A product brand name of German company Durferrit GmbH, it is a process of diffusing and penetrating nitrogen into the surface of a metal to form a hard, nitro-carburized layer. The hardened layer is thinner than what can be obtained with nitriding and improves fatigue strength. |
| turbine oil | An oil for lubricating the bearings of turbines used at electric power plants, etc. It is also used for lubricating die casting machines or other industrial machinery. |
| turbulence | A term describing the state of air or a fluid when it moves in an irregular manner that makes entrapment easy to occur. Designing a casting system to prevent turbulence is critical for avoiding entrapment. |
