Edited: 5/21/2010 10:22:42 AM by iLLblazer
Edited: 5/21/2010 10:22:16 AM by iLLblazerAR Plate stands for abrasion resistant, not Armor plate. At my last job we used it to line grain bins. Its not structural steel and is prone to cracking when welded to disimilar metals. (such as welding AR tabs to an HSS Tube rail). Not trying to be a dick but as someone whos taken a lot of courses on material properties and strengths, its pretty frustrating to see this stuff being used in the wrong application and being touted as 'bullet proof'. Good article on fabricating with AR: Because AR plate has such a high hardness (a 400 grade AR plate equals about 42 Rockwell C), heavy equipment manufacturers and job shop personnel rely on it to protect equipment from excessive wear. Typical applications include backhoe buckets and teeth, bulldozer blades, dump truck beds, ore and coal chutes, augers and aggregate conveyors.
Note: AR plate is designed to protect equipment against wear. Typically, AR plate should not be used in a structural or load bearing design.
http://www.hobartbrothers.com/aboutus/cracking_mystery/