- SAE standards are a compendium of standards that regulate practically all the materials and elements that make up a vehicle (cars, trucks, industrial engines), let's say everything related to mechanics, includes classifications for steels, alloys of all kinds, synthetic compounds, rubbers, oils, hoses, connections, transmission parts (for example give the dimensions of the power take-offs.)
- It is intended that there is a certain standardization and it is guaranteed that if a steel or an oil meets a certain SAE standard, this or that, meets certain specifications It is like the ABC of mechanics, in every activity there must be certain rules to follow, so that there is an understandable language.
Classification of steels according to SAE
- In order to standardize the composition of the different types of steels on the market, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI) have established methods to identify the different types of steel that are manufactured. Both systems are similar for classification, in both systems four or five digits are used to designate the type of steel. In the AISI system the SAE process is also indicated. First digit: It is a number with which the predominant alloying element is indicated. 1 = carbon, 2 = nickel, 3 = nickel-chromium, 4 = molybdenum, 5 = chromium, 6 = chromium-vanadium, 8 = triple-alloy, 9 = silicon-magnesium. The second digit: It is a number that indicates the presence of other alloying elements. For example a SAE 2540 steel indicates that it contains nickel and chromium Digits 3 and 4:They indicate the average carbon content in hundredths, as in the SAE example. When the classifications have a letter at the beginning, it indicates the process used to make the steel, the prefix being the following:
- A = Basic open hearth steel B = Acid Bessemer carbon steel C = Basic oxygen converted steel D = Acid open hearth carbon steel E = Electric furnace steel
