Steel Industry Glossary
- Areal Density
- The mass of a protective panel per unit area, in kg/m² — the number that decides whether a protection level is affordable in weight.
- Ballistic Acceptance Test
- A firing trial on material or a built panel against the specified threat, witnessed and recorded.
- Cut to Nest
- Cutting plate directly to the customer's nested layout, marked and kitted by assembly.
- Delivery Condition
- The heat treatment and surface state material is supplied in — annealed, normalised, quenched and tempered, or solution treated and aged.
- Heat Affected Zone
- The band beside a weld whose properties change with the welding heat — in armour steel, it softens.
- Heat Traceability
- The link between a finished item and the melt it came from, carried by marking and certificate.
- Inspection and Test Plan
- The agreed schedule of checks, hold points and witness points across an order, fixed before production.
- Interpass Temperature
- The temperature of the joint when the next weld pass is started, controlled to limit both cracking and softening.
- PMI
- Positive material identification — on-the-spot alloy verification against the marking and certificate.
- Protection Level
- A classified threat the structure must defeat — STANAG 4569 levels for vehicles, EN 1522 FB classes for buildings.