3.1 The primary use of these test methods is testing to determine the specified mechanical properties of steel, stainless steel and related alloy products for the evaluation of conformance of such products to a material specification under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee A01 and its subcommittees as designated by a purchaser in a purchase order or contract.

3.1.1 These test methods may be and are used by other ASTM Committees and other standards writing bodies for the purpose of conformance testing.

3.1.2 The material condition at the time of testing, sampling frequency, specimen location and orientation, reporting requirements, and other test parameters are contained in the pertinent material specification or in a General Requirement Specification for the particular product form.

3.1.3 Some material specifications require the use of additional test methods not described herein; in such cases, the required test method is described in that material specification or by reference to another appropriate test method standard.

3.2 These test methods are also suitable to be used for testing of steel, stainless steel and related alloy materials for other purposes, such as incoming material acceptance testing by the purchaser or evaluation of components after service exposure.

3.2.1 As with any mechanical testing, deviations from either specification limits or expected as-manufactured properties can occur for valid reasons besides deficiency of the original as-fabricated product. These reasons include, but are not limited to: subsequent service degradation from environmental exposure (for example, temperature, corrosion); static or cyclic service stress effects, mechanically-induced damage, material inhomogeneity, anisotropic structure, natural aging of select alloys, further processing not included in the specification, sampling limitations, and measuring equipment calibration uncertainty. There is statistical variation in all aspects of mechanical testing and variations in test results from prior tests are expected. An understanding of possible reasons for deviation from specified or expected test values should be applied in interpretation of test results.

1.1 These test methods² cover procedures and definitions for the mechanical testing of steels, stainless steels, and related alloys. The various mechanical tests herein described are used to determine properties required in the product specifications. Variations in testing methods are to be avoided, and standard methods of testing are to be followed to obtain reproducible and comparable results. In those cases in which the testing requirements for certain products are unique or at variance with these general procedures, the product specification testing requirements shall control.

1.2 The following mechanical tests are described:

Sections

Tension

 6 to 14

Bend

15

Hardness

16

 Brinell

17

 Rockwell

18

 Portable

19

Impact

20 to 29

Keywords

30

1.3 Annexes covering details peculiar to certain products are appended to these test methods as follows:

Annex

Bar Products

A1.1

Tubular Products

Annex A2

Fasteners

Annex A3

Round Wire Products

Annex A4

Significance of Notched-Bar Impact Testing

Annex A5

Converting Percentage Elongation of Round Specimens to
 Equivalents for Flat Specimens

Annex A6

Testing Multi-Wire Strand

Annex A7

Rounding of Test Data

Annex A8

Methods for Testing Steel Reinforcing Bars

Annex A9

Procedure for Use and Control of Heat-Cycle Simulation

Annex A10

1.4 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as the standard.

1.5 When this document is referenced in a metric product specification, the yield and tensile values may be determined in inch-pound (ksi) units then converted into SI (MPa) units. The elongation determined in inch-pound gauge lengths of 2 or 8 in. may be reported in SI unit gauge lengths of 50 or 200 mm, respectively, as applicable. Conversely, when this document is referenced in an inch-pound product specification, the yield and tensile values may be determined in SI units then converted into inch-pound units. The elongation determined in SI unit gauge lengths of 50 or 200 mm may be reported in inch-pound gauge lengths of 2 or 8 in., respectively, as applicable.

1.6 Attention is directed to ISO/IEC 17025 when there may be a need for information on criteria for evaluation of testing laboratories.

1.7 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.