This is a bit of a rant, but...
This is an interesting thread to read. The absence of a tested statistical basis for the materials you use casts a frightening shadow. This question wouldn't be posed - or would be firmly answered already - on the aircraft forum, with solid references.
I refer repeatedly to Mil-Handbook-5 when designing parts for aircraft, because no less will do. The statistically derived basis for the material properties virtually guarantees that 99% of the samples will meet or beat the number 95% of the time. Any number I quote is backed up by decades of testing by US government and university laboratories.
You guys are aware of these requirements, yet nobody is stepping up to the plate to provide this certainty to the properties of one of the most commonly-used types of steel. ASTM and AISI don't give the strength numbers; they're only concerned with the composition and heat-treatment. Any company that tests their lots can only be held responsible for the materials they produce.
Isn't the answer the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code? Section II give the properties of many types of steel, for all who can afford the 12,000$ price tag. I can't afford a copy - and have no reason to: most of these materials aren't used on aircraft.
Mil-Hdbk-5 is free, but there aren't any structural steels in it.
This economic barrier is preventing good engineers from obtaining the data they need to do their job properly
![[soapbox] [soapbox] [soapbox]](/data/assets/smilies/soapbox.gif)
Responsibility for a huge number of military standards is also being transferred into private hands. Ultimately, all of them will have to be purchased, just like the BPVC. Eventually, I fear that Mil-Hdbk-5 will join them, for a price tag roughly equivalent.
Steven Fahey, CET
"Simplicate, and add more lightness" - Bill Stout