scope:

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this Defence Standard is to provide designers and users with advice on the choice and application of cast steels for use in Defence production. It has been prepared by the Metallurgioal Specifications Ministry of Defence with the active co-operation of The Steel Castings Research and Trade Association and The British Investment Castings Research and Trade Association and The British Investment Casters Technical Association.

This Defence Standard Contains tables setting out cast steels used in Defence production; Table A covers steels for sand castings and Table B, investment and precision castings.

The first version of this document was prepared for limited circulation in 1951. Its purpose was to assemble and co-ordinate the requirements of the Services for the steels for work of a general engineering constructional nature, and to compare and correlate the steels with the British Standard existing at the time. As a result, the British Standards Institution critically reviewed and revised many of their steels Standards, taking account of Defence requirements. The Services were then able to abandon, in favour of British Standards, a number of their existing specifications.

Experience with the first edition showed that the document had uses for designers, engineers, and metallurgists other than the main purpose set out in clause 1c, and it was decided to continue its existence in a modified form.

The document has been revised in line with the issue of BS 3100: 1967, and has taken into account the latest requirements of Service Departments.

The information contained herein summarizes the main characteristics of cast steels and provides a commentary intended to indicate the typical applications of the various steels; it is not intended to be a substitute for looking at the full details of the latest issue of the relevant specification; it is not a substitute for expert advice; and it is in no way a warrant for substituting another steel or specification for the one stipulated by the designer.

It must be emphasized that this document is not a specification and is not to be quoted on drawings or in orders. It is intended solely as a guide to designers and others, covering steels suitable for Service applications. For drawings and orders the particular specification given in column 2 of the tables must be quoted.