Firebox Steel

[Eddy1988]

Hello,

I am curious about what the term Firebox means in steel. For example, I am evaluating an existing pressure vessel with SA-285-Gr.C Firebox for the structural steel. The equipment was made in 1971.

Thanks,

Eddy

 

[weldstan]

Firenbox = Fully silicon killed steel.

 

[EdStainless]

It is called that because of use in steam locomotives.
I believe that the first spec with that name was A30.
These tended to be better grade steels for their time with tighter chemistry and property ranges.
However most of them were not fine grain steels, they were Si killed.
This term (FBQ) has also appeared in A201 and A212, though not all of these steels are the same.

If you don't have original MTRs I would suggest finding a location where you could take some destructive test samples. Knowing chemistry and tensile will answer a lot of your questions.

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P.E. Metallurgy, Plymouth Tube

 

[metengr]

Here is probably the best description I have seen regarding differences between boiler-plate steel versus structural-quality steel plate and differences between flange-quality boiler steel plate and firebox-quality steel plate. Other differences were strength requirements between flange and firebox quality steels (Boilermaker magazine publication, circa 1923).

https://books.google.com/books?id=R...box versus flange quality steel plate&f=false

 

[mrfailure]

I used to have a set of ASTM specs from 1912 which showed the differences from a specification perspective.