Steel Slab weight

Can anyone tell me the weight of a steel slab that is 3/4" x 31.5" x 42" ?

Thanks, Bill

Reply to
William Longyard
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The density of most grades of steel averages around 0.283 pounds per cubic inch, so your slab weighs about 992 lb.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Jeez. Hand slipped punching calculator buttons. That's 992 cubic inches, or 281 pounds.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Ed, Do you have a table of specific weights by alloy? All I have is a metric reference and it is not specific enough to be able to identify unknown material well. Steve

Reply to
Steve Lusardi

I haven't looked very deeply into it (I had the density of steel written on the cheat-sheet I keep with my engineering calculator), but here's a short list from Bal-Tec in lb./in.^3 and in metric:

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To get into the alloys would require some digging. Cast iron is lighter than steel; stainless is heavier than carbon steel; I don't know where to find the individual alloys. Maybe someone else knows.

-- Ed Huntress

Reply to
Ed Huntress

Ed, Thank-you very much!

Bill L.

Reply to
William Longyard

A steel plate one foot square and one inch thick weighs 40 lbs, for most practical purposes. Sometimes it's specified by that rule; your piece is 30 Lb plate. It's a handy way to estimate the cost of a piece in a scrapyard.

The exact density depends on alloy and carbon content.

Jim Wilkins

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

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Mark Rand RTFM

Reply to
Mark Rand

I call it the "cannibalism of numbers" to help people remember--- It's when "two" ate "three"

Pete Stanaitis

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Ed Huntress wrote:

Reply to
spaco

What's the largest that will fit in a flat rate shipping box?

Reply to
David Harmon

USPS Flat rate boxes:

11" x 8.5" x 5.5" $8.95 domestic 13.625" x 11.875" x 3.375" $8.95 domestic

And the new size

12" x 12" x 5.5" $12.95

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Reply to
Mechanical Magic

You need to know the precise weight and volume, which rules out checking metal in scrapyards and very likely at home unless you are equipped as an analytical chemist (or a drug maker). The quick, traditional method for steel is to grind it and compare the sparks to known samples or a chart. For scrapyards bring a magnet and a small file.

Jim Wilkins

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

From Machinery's Handbook, 24th Edition, page 356:

Metal Density, lb per cubic inch Aluminum .098 Beryllium .067 Brass(80/20 cu/zn) .310 Bronze .317 Chromium .260 Cobalt .310 Copper .295 Cast iron .260 Lead .397 Magnesium .066 Manganese .268 Mercury .4892 Molybdenum .341 Nickel .308 Platinum .775 Silver .379 Carbon steel .283 Tin .275 Titanium .170 Tungsten .630 Vanaduim .221 Zinc .230

Interesting that tungsten is nearly half again as heavy as mercury. Explains the weight of those carbide inserts, huh? I wish they'd included uranium; it's really heavy, too. And magnesuim's weight explains why it's popular in aircraft applications.

Dan

Reply to
Dan_Thomas_nospam

You need to know the precise weight and volume, which rules out checking metal in scrapyards and very likely at home unless you are equipped as an analytical chemist (or a drug maker). The quick, traditional method for steel is to grind it and compare the sparks to known samples or a chart. For scrapyards bring a magnet and a small file.

I am kind of new to this but learned quickly to carry a small magnet around the garage sales. How does the file help? Would a battery-powered Dremel with an abrasive wheel be enough for the spark test? I bought some brass pieces and wanted to see if they were solid brass or just something plated. I ducked into water and measured the displaced volume. Then I weighed each piece and calculated their density. None of the pieces were close to the 8.5gm/cm3 that brass is supposed to be. The figure spread was such that I abandoned this procedure on future items.

Reply to
Michael Koblic

If you can't file it, you can't machine it without annealing. It also cuts through the crud or plating so you can see the color underneath.

I didn't suggest a Dremel because you can't see the tiny sparks very well outdoors, and some junkyard smells make me nervous about starting a fire.

To measure density with any sort of accuracy you need a balance that will resolve to at least 1 part in 1000 and preferably -much- better. For a coin or washer this is about 0.5 milligram, assuming the displaced water weighs half a gram. You can do better if the sample is close to the weight limit of the balance.

You don't measure the displaced water, you weigh the part in air and then hanging in water. The difference in grams equals the volume in milliliters.

Jim Wilkins

Reply to
Jim Wilkins

If you can't file it, you can't machine it without annealing. It also cuts through the crud or plating so you can see the color underneath.

I didn't suggest a Dremel because you can't see the tiny sparks very well outdoors, and some junkyard smells make me nervous about starting a fire.

***OK, that makes sense.

To measure density with any sort of accuracy you need a balance that will resolve to at least 1 part in 1000 and preferably -much- better. For a coin or washer this is about 0.5 milligram, assuming the displaced water weighs half a gram. You can do better if the sample is close to the weight limit of the balance.

You don't measure the displaced water, you weigh the part in air and then hanging in water. The difference in grams equals the volume in milliliters.

*** Not technically feasible here. Most of the pieces were of the order of 100 gm and my scale weighs to 1 gm. The water displacement was measured with a 12 cc syringe. Either way, the shapes are irregular and one is always wondering about air pockets. Some of the pieces I suspect are hollow. So it is a waste of time either way.

I was fascinated to read in another thread about machinery which can analyze metal composition by "shooting it" - whatever that means? Does anyone know how this works?

Reply to
Michael Koblic

I always think about an early chevy small block engine.

Wes

Reply to
Wes

Probably a spark spectrometer. This used to be a really large chunk of equipment, they've got it down to something that's wheelable now. Google on "portable spark spectrometer". Uses an electrical spark against the test material to obtain a spectrum, a photosensor reads it, microcomputing does the rest. It's replaced wet methods of analysis in foundries and would be really handy for junkyards if they weren't so expensive. I keep hoping to find a pocket-size model...

Stan

Reply to
stans4

...

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a bunch of hand-held spectrometers. Third entry in list (Thermo Scientific) has links to a smaller-than-usual x-ray fluorescence analyzer, Thermo Scientific XLi. Pocket size, but a little heavy at 0.8 kg.

Reply to
James Waldby

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