The spelling of the word "hot short" may seem confusing, but it can be easily understood with IPA phonetic transcription. The word is pronounced as /hɒt ʃɔːt/ with the "o" and "a" sounds producing a short vowel sound. The term hot short refers to a type of material that becomes brittle when exposed to high temperatures. This term is often used in the metalworking industry to describe a particular type of steel that is prone to cracking when worked at high temperatures.
Hot short is a term used in the field of metallurgy to describe a specific type of brittleness exhibited by certain alloys or materials at high temperatures. When a metal is considered hot short, it becomes highly susceptible to cracking or breaking under stress when exposed to elevated temperatures.
Hot shortness is typically caused by the presence of impurities or other elements in the alloy that disrupt the metallic bonding and weaken its structure. These impurities can lower the melting point of the metal, leading to its premature failure at high temperatures. The exact mechanism behind hot shortness varies depending on the specific alloy and impurities involved.
This phenomenon is often encountered in the manufacturing processes of various alloys, particularly those containing sulfur or phosphorus. Such elements tend to form compounds with the metal, causing grain boundaries to weaken, which ultimately results in brittle behavior at high temperatures. Consequently, metals prone to hot shortness must be carefully handled and processed to minimize the risk of cracking or fracturing.
Understanding and identifying hot shortness is crucial in industries such as metallurgy, construction, and engineering, where materials may be subjected to high temperatures or stress during their lifetimes. By recognizing the hot short characteristics of a particular alloy, engineers can select alternative materials or adjust processing techniques to ensure the durability and reliability of the final product.
The term "hot short" comes from the field of metallurgy. The etymology of "hot short" can be broken down as follows:
"Hot" refers to the high temperature at which the material is malleable or ductile. It indicates that the material is easier to shape or work with when heated.
The word "short" in this context has origins in Old English, where "sceort" meant "not long" or "fracture easily". In metallurgical terms, it describes a material that is brittle or prone to breaking when subjected to stress, particularly at high temperatures.
Therefore, "hot short" implies a material that becomes brittle or fractures easily when heated, emphasizing the combination of hot temperature and brittleness. The term is commonly used when discussing certain metals and alloys that exhibit this property.