Calling all engineers.

[Sceadwian]

Technical folks of different breeds tend to run in the same circles, so... can any of the well experienced folks here provide some possible reference links for metal working and general material science?

I'm looking for a forum similar to this absolutely glorious website, only slanted completly towards metallurgy, or general material sciences, but it has to at least include metallurgy in it.

 

[EN0]

Try It's just like this forum except with an e-book.

 

[Sceadwian]

I'm not sure if you caught the meaning of my original post EletroNerdy, my question is completly unrelated to electronics. Giving just a very narrow example (not a real world one) of the kind of people I'm looking for, say I know I want spring steel for an application. I know I need certain spring requirements but also need to know all the different types of alloys and heat treating that need to be done to a particular type of alloy to get a given set of physical properties. But I'm looking for people with wider experience, such as aluminum and it's alloys and their reasons for chosing the various types, such as machinability, heat treat ability, hardness etc.. etc.. etc..

I think the kind of people I'm looking for are those that might work in a metal shop but work with a full spectrum of products.

 

[tcmtech]

I hang around CR4 at times. Their members have a much broader engineering background than here.
I think they even have a section relative to metals there as well.

 

[JimB]

Try www.eng-tips.com

That is a more professional engineering site and you may well find the odd metalurgist or two.

JimB

 

[Mikebits]

I'm not sure if you caught the meaning of my original post EletroNerdy, my question is completly unrelated to electronics. Giving just a very narrow example (not a real world one) of the kind of people I'm looking for, say I know I want spring steel for an application. I know I need certain spring requirements but also need to know all the different types of alloys and heat treating that need to be done to a particular type of alloy to get a given set of physical properties. But I'm looking for people with wider experience, such as aluminum and it's alloys and their reasons for chosing the various types, such as machinability, heat treat ability, hardness etc.. etc.. etc..

I think the kind of people I'm looking for are those that might work in a metal shop but work with a full spectrum of products.

I have a lathe and mill, I prefer to work with aluminum and brass, harder metals require a bit more machining expertise than I have. For my needs the soft metals are sufficient. Harder metals require more expensive bits.

 

[jpanhalt]

I dabble quite a bit in metal working and can say there are quite a few sites, both forums and task specific sites.

For example, I needed a spring with certain characteristics. There are several calculators on the Internet for doing that.

If this thread is related to your other question about spring steel, be aware that some types of spring steel (like music wire) attain their properties from being cold worked. Other types of hardened steel (say blue sheet) are heat treated and tempered. Music wire is very strong, but once you heat it to annealing temp, it is almost impossible to get it back to its original hardness and toughness.

In brief, there are so many resources from DIY machinists to CNC to materials sciences to knife making, etc. that it would be pointless to list all of the sites I have used.

Can you narrow your question a bit more? Also, one of the moderators on AAC is quite knowledgeable about metallurgy. I have tended to use specific sources rather than forums. There is a good forum on DIY CNC building, but that does not seem to be what you are after.

John

 

[Sceadwian]

The reason I'm looking for a general forum is so I can look back over a large database of older posts which tend to contain large amounts of useful information. The reason I'm asking isn't related to the wire thread I started. I just recently started working at a machine shop, they have 18 old school Davenport type machines and a modest 6 machine CNC department. I'm working in the shipping/finishing department and leaning towards QC at some point, doing my best to network at this point try to carve myself a niche cause I really like this type of work, almost no other job you can do deals with measurements in micro meters quantities in the thousands and where a fully machined part can be as much as 50 cents a piece. Great combination of nitty gritty and technical knowledge. So I'm kind of looking for a one stop shop for general knowledge, leaning towards metallurgy only because that's of a personal interest to me as well. I was a little vague in my original post I guess, I appoligize.

Thanks for the link TCM, I'll check out Cr4.

 

[DirtyLude]

I'd be interested in this too. I really deal only in cutting and welding practically, and the books I've read are mostly books on welding, metal fatigue, general metallurgy including alloys, and sheet metal bending/forming that pertain to race car engineering. I haven't looked at actual machining since I worked a lathe in high school. If you find anything let us know.

The only book I can recommend is An Introduction to Metallurgy by Alan Cottrell. They have a 2nd edition out.

 

[Sceadwian]

Part of the problem is machining is generally speaking a trade skill, you'll not find any static reference material that can teach you anything cause you have to experience it in the real world on a machine to really have a clue what's going on. That's why I'm looking for a forum where the tech savy machinists that are out there go. The guys that work at my place all know their business, but not a whole lot of them are tech savy so to speak. It's a get it done attititude, and learn by your mistakes, so finding truly good refrence online is really hard.

 

[jpanhalt]

I agree with your observation that a lot of machine shop work is based on a get it done philosophy. As an example, if one wants to bore a hole for an SAE thread, you can calculate precisely the diameter for whatever percentage thread you want, go to tables, of use the simple shop equation of screw nominal diameter minus 1/tpi. Thus, the hole for a 5/8-24 thread becomes 0.583. Machinery's lists an acceptable range of 0.580 to 0.585. I don't know of any substitute for a good machinist teacher.

As a note of caution, my perspective is based entirely on using manual machines. Aside from just talking, watching, and doing, the source I use first and foremost is Machinery's Handbook (Industrial Press). It has good sections on materials, strength of materials, engineering equations, machine practices, and tolerances. In 1983, I used that handbook and a little common sense to design this 50X18 foot door. I built it using mostly TIG welding, and it has withstood the elements and winds in Minnesota.

For "how to" books, I use Machine Tool Operations (William Patton, Reston Publishing company, 1974), which is very basic, and Milling-Machine Practice and Work (I.C.S. Staff, International Textbook Company, 1927). The latter has nice descriptions of complex manual milling operations, like spirals and cams. I also find that some of the tool catalogs, like J&L, and even McMaster Carr have useful information. I suspect more modern books are available, but with dying of the trades and trade schools in the US, they may be getting hard to find.

I rarely go to the Internet with questions, because there is so much noise in the responses. The "DIY-CNC" group in Yahoo Groups is interesting to follow.

Good luck.

John

 

[mramos1]

Well, since we are coming out. I was talking with a fellow yesterday that built a CNC plasma cutter and he really peaked my interest. Seem to be big in the UK as well. Saw a nice CAM program called sheetcam as well.

I am building a 21' (16' bed) x 7.5' trailer for my sons quads and golf carts. All Plasma (some tweaking with the grinder) and TIG.

Welding and working with metal is a blast for sure.

 

[tcmtech]

HEHEHEHE. I grew up on a farm.

Metal working (and some metal fragments) are in my blood!

Its probably one of my more favorite jobs/hobbies!

I am building a 21' (16' bed) x 7.5' trailer for my sons quads and golf carts. All Plasma (some tweaking with the grinder) and TIG.

Welding and working with metal is a blast for sure.

Figure out what the maximum load you would ever carry on it is and then double the axle capacity and reinforce the center section of the frame from front to back to hold at least double your calculated number!

Someday somebody is going to borrow your trailer to haul something small that ends up being far far heavier than what they think it is and way over what your trailers intended load capacity ever was!
I know, I have seen what insane loads people put on other peoples trailers. Especially lighter duty ones intended mainly for recreational vehicles!

 

[Sceadwian]

I've had people say it was perfectly fine to load 3000lb skids on their generic around the town plain white cargo vans saying they do it all the time. It's amusing watching them drive away with the back end leaf springs completly flat and shocks going into shock =\ I feel sorry for anyone they hit if they ever get into an accident.

 

[mramos1]

HEHEHEHE. I grew up on a farm.

Metal working (and some metal fragments) are in my blood!

Its probably one of my more favorite jobs/hobbies!



Figure out what the maximum load you would ever carry on it is and then double the axle capacity and reinforce the center section of the frame from front to back to hold at least double your calculated number!

Someday somebody is going to borrow your trailer to haul something small that ends up being far far heavier than what they think it is and way over what your trailers intended load capacity ever was!
I know, I have seen what insane loads people put on other peoples trailers. Especially lighter duty ones intended mainly for recreational vehicles!

Oh I know. I have two trailers and I ask questions before I pick the one they can use and the special one I sometimes come with them and help.

I have a single 3500lbs boat axle . And lots if support. A welding buddy of mine is constantly giving me a hard time about it last couple weeks. He said your not hauling a Sherman tank. He is right, but if I build it to haul a car I know it will haul 2 quads, lifted golf cart and a dirt bike (not heavy at all actually). But I do not want to be suck somewhere because I cut some corners. And it will be a side loader at the front, to parallel the quads and just making sure I can load from either side.

 

[mramos1]

I've had people say it was perfectly fine to load 3000lb skids on their generic around the town plain white cargo vans saying they do it all the time. It's amusing watching them drive away with the back end leaf springs completly flat and shocks going into shock =\ I feel sorry for anyone they hit if they ever get into an accident.

hahaha.. Yea, no brakes on this thing, it is about the limit to not have brakes on it for me.

Down here, we see small pickups that look like the front wheels are about to come off the ground.