MAM 6415B

AEROSPACE
MATERIAL Issued JAN 1989
400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001
SPECIFICATION Revised MAR 1998

Superseding MAM 6415A

Submitted for recognition as an American National Standard

Steel, Bars, Forgings, and Tubing

0.80Cr - 1.8Ni - 0.25Mo (0.38 - 0.43C) (SAE 4340)
UNS G43406

1. SCOPE:

1.1 Form:

This specification covers an aircraft-quality, low-alloy steel in the form of bars, forgings, mechanical
tubing, and forging stock procured in SI (Metric) units.

1.1.1 AMS 6415 is the inch/pound version of this MAM.

1.2 Application:

These products have been used typically for parts, 90 millimeters and under in nominal thickness at
time of heat treatment, requiring a through-hardening steel capable of developing a minimum
hardness of 40 HRC when properly hardened and tempered and also for parts of greater thickness
but requiring proportionately lower hardness, but usage is not limited to such applications.

1.2.1 Certain design and processing procedures may cause these products to become susceptible to
stress-corrosion cracking after heat treatment; ARP1110 recommends practices to minimize such
conditions.

2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS:

The following publications form a part of this specification to the extent specified herein. The latest
issue of SAE publications shall apply. The applicable issue of other publications shall be the issue in
effect on the date of the purchase order.

SAE Technical Standards Board Rules provide that: “This report is published by SAE to advance the state of technical and engineering sciences. The use of this report is entirely
voluntary, and its applicability and suitability for any particular use, including any patent infringement arising therefrom, is the sole responsibility of the user.”
SAE reviews each technical report at least every five years at which time it may be reaffirmed, revised, or cancelled. SAE invites your written comments and suggestions.
Copyright 1998 Society of Automotive Engineers, Inc.
All rights reserved. Printed in U.S.A.
QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS DOCUMENT: (724) 772-7154 FAX: (724) 776-0243
TO PLACE A DOCUMENT ORDER: (724) 776-4970 FAX: (724) 776-0790
SAE WEB ADDRESS: http://www.sae.org
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

2.1 SAE Publications:

Available from SAE, 400 Commonwealth Drive, Warrendale, PA 15096-0001.

MAM 2251 Tolerances, Metric, Low-Alloy Steel Bars

MAM 2253 Tolerances, Metric, Carbon and Alloy Steel Tubing
AMS 2259 Chemical Check Analysis Limits, Wrought Low-Alloy and Carbon Steels
MAM 2301 Cleanliness, Aircraft-Quality Steel, Magnetic Particle Inspection Procedure, Metric (SI)
Measurement
AMS 2370 Quality Assurance Sampling and Testing, Carbon and Low-Alloy Steel Wrought
Products and Forging Stock
AMS 2372 Quality Assurance Sampling and Testing, Carbon and Low-Alloy Steel Forgings
AMS 2806 Identification, Bars, Wire, Mechanical Tubing, and Extrusions, Carbon and Alloy Steels
and Corrosion and Heat Resistant Steels and Alloys
AMS 2808 Identification, Forgings

AS1182 Standard Machining Allowance, Aircraft-Quality and Premium Aircraft-Quality Steel

Bars and Mechanical Tubing
ARP1110 Minimizing Stress Corrosion Cracking in Wrought Forms of Steels and Corrosion
Resistant Steels and Alloys

2.2 ASTM Publications:

Available from ASTM, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959.

ASTM A 255 End-Quench Test for Hardenability of Steel

ASTM A 370 Mechanical Testing of Steel Products
ASTM E 112 Determining the Average Grain Size
ASTM E 350 Chemical Analysis of Carbon Steel, Low-Alloy Steel, Silicon Electrical Steel, Ingot
Iron, and Wrought Iron
ASTM E 381 Macroetch Testing Steel, Bars, Billets, Blooms, and Forgings

2.3 U.S. Government Publications:

Available from DODSSP, Subscription Services Desk, Building 4D, 700 Robbins Avenue,
Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094.

MIL-H-6875 Heat Treatment of Steel, Process for

-2-
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

3. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:

3.1 Composition:

Shall conform to the percentages by weight shown in Table 1, determined by wet chemical methods
in accordance with ASTM E 350, by spectrochemical methods, or by other analytical methods
acceptable to purchaser.

TABLE 1 - Composition
Element min max
Carbon 0.38 0.43
Manganese 0.65 0.85
Silicon 0.15 0.35
Phosphorus -- 0.025
Sulfur -- 0.025
Chromium 0.70 0.90
Nickel 1.65 2.00
Molybdenum 0.20 0.30
Copper -- 0.35

3.1.1 Check Analysis: Composition variations shall meet the applicable requirements of AMS 2259.

3.2 Condition:

The product shall be supplied in the following condition; hardness and tensile strength shall be
determined in accordance with ASTM A 370.

3.2.1 Bars:

3.2.1.1 Bars 12.50 Millimeters and Under in Nominal Diameter or Distance Between Parallel Sides:
Cold finished having tensile strength not higher than 862 MPa or hardness not higher than 27
HRC, or equivalent (See 8.2).

3.2.1.2 Bars Over 12.50 Millimeters in Nominal Diameter or Distance Between Parallel Sides:
Hot finished and annealed, unless otherwise ordered, having hardness not higher than 235 HB,
or equivalent (See 8.2). Bars ordered cold finished may have hardness as high as 255 HB, or
equivalent.

3.2.2 Forgings: Normalized and tempered in accordance with MIL-H-6875 to a hardness not higher than
269 HB, or equivalent (See 8.2).

-3-
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

3.2.3 Mechanical Tubing: Cold finished, unless otherwise ordered, having hardness not higher than
25 HRC, or equivalent (See 8.2). Tubing ordered hot finished and annealed shall have hardness
not higher than 99 HRB, or equivalent.

3.2.4 Forging Stock: As ordered by the forging manufacturer.

3.3 Properties:

The product shall conform to the following requirements; hardness testing shall be performed in
accordance with ASTM A 370:

3.3.1 Macrostructure: Visual examination of transverse full cross-sections from bars, billets, tube rounds,
or forging stock, etched in hot hydrochloric acid in accordance with ASTM E 381, shall show no
pipe or cracks. Porosity, segregation, inclusions, and other imperfections shall be no worse than
the macrographs of ASTM E 381 shown in Table 2.

TABLE 2 - Macrostructure Limits

Cross-Sectional Area
Square Centimeters Macrographs
Up to 230, incl S2 - R1 - C2
Over 230 to 645, incl S2 - R2 - C3

3.3.2 Average Grain Size: Shall be ASTM 5 or finer, determined in accordance with ASTM E 112.

3.3.3 Hardenability: Shall be J 19mm = 53 HRC, minimum, and J 32 mm = 50 HRC, minimum, (See 8.3),
determined on the standard end-quench test specimen in accordance with ASTM A 255 except
that the steel shall be normalized at 870 °C ± 15 and the test specimen austenitized at 845 °C ± 15.

3.3.4 Decarburization:

3.3.4.1 Bars and tubing ordered ground, turned, or polished shall be free from decarburization on the
ground, turned, or polished surfaces.

3.3.4.2 Allowable decarburization of bars, billets, and tube rounds ordered for redrawing or forging or to
specified microstructural requirements shall be as agreed upon by purchaser and vendor.

3.3.4.3 Decarburization of bars to which 3.3.4.1 or 3.3.4.2 is not applicable shall be not greater than
shown in Table 3.

-4-
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

TABLE 3 - Maximum Decarburization

Nominal Diameter or Distance Depth of
Between Parallel Sides Decarburization
Millimeters Millimeters
Up to 9.50, incl 0.25
Over 9.50 to 12.50, incl 0.30
Over 12.50 to 15.65, incl 0.35
Over 15.65 to 25.00, incl 0.40
Over 25.00 to 37.50, incl 0.50
Over 37.50 to 50.00, incl 0.60
Over 50.00 to 62.50, incl 0.75
Over 62.50 to 75.00, incl 0.90
Over 75.00 to 100.00, incl 1.15

3.3.4.4 Decarburization of tubing to which 3.3.4.1 or 3.3.4.2 is not applicable shall be not greater than
shown in Table 4.

TABLE 4 - Maximum Decarburization

Depth Depth
Nominal Wall Thickness ID OD
Millimeters Millimeter Millimeter
Up to 2.75, incl 0.20 0.35
Over 2.75 to 5.00, incl 0.25 0.50
Over 5.00 to 10.00, incl 0.30 0.60
Over 10.00 to 15.00, incl 0.35 0.75
Over 15.00 to 25.00, incl 0.40 0.90
Over 25.00 0.50 1.00

3.3.4.5 Decarburization shall be measured by the microscopic method or by HR30N scale or equivalent
hardness testing method on hardened but untempered specimens protected during heat
treatment to prevent changes in surface carbon content. Depth of decarburization, when
measured by a hardness method, is defined as the perpendicular distance from the surface to
the depth under that surface below which there is no further increase in hardness. Such
measurements shall be far enough away from any adjacent surface to be uninfluenced by
decarburization thereon.

-5-
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

3.3.4.5.1 When determining the depth of decarburization, it is permissible to disregard local areas
provided the decarburization of such areas does not exceed the above limits by more than
0.13 millimeter and the width is 1.65 millimeters or less.

3.4 Quality:

The product, as received by purchaser, shall be uniform in quality and condition, sound, and free
from foreign materials and from imperfections detrimental to usage of the product.

3.4.1 Steel shall be aircraft-quality conforming to MAM 2301.

3.4.2 Bars and mechanical tubing ordered hot rolled or cold drawn, or ground, turned, or polished, shall
after removal of the standard machining allowance in accordance with AS1182, be free from
seams, laps, tears, and cracks open to the ground, turned, or polished surfaces.

3.4.3 Grain flow of die forgings, except in areas which contain flash-line end grain, shall follow the
general contour of the forgings showing no evidence of re-entrant grain flow.

3.5 Tolerances:

Shall be as follows:

3.5.1 Bars: In accordance with MAM 2251.

3.5.2 Mechanical Tubing: In accordance with MAM 2253.

4. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS:

4.1 Responsibility for Inspection:

The vendor of the product shall supply all samples for vendor’s tests and shall be responsible for the
performance of all required tests. Purchaser reserves the right to sample and to perform any
confirmatory testing deemed necessary to ensure that the product conforms to specified
requirements.

4.2 Classification of Tests:

4.2.1 Acceptance Tests: Composition (3.1), condition (3.2), macrostructure (3.3.1), average grain size
(3.3.2), hardenability (3.3.3), decarburization (3.3.4), frequency-severity cleanliness rating (3.4.1),
and tolerances (3.5) are acceptance tests and shall be performed on each heat or lot as applicable.

4.2.2 Periodic Tests: Grain flow of die forgings (3.4.3) is a periodic test and shall be performed at a
frequency selected by the vendor unless frequency of testing is specified by purchaser.

-6-
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

4.3 Sampling and Testing:

Shall be as follows:

4.3.1 Bars, Mechanical Tubing, and Forging Stock: In accordance with AMS 2370.

4.3.2 Forgings: In accordance with AMS 2372.

4.4 Reports:

The vendor of the product shall furnish with each shipment a report showing the results of tests for
chemical composition, macrostructure, average grain size, hardenability, and frequency-severity
cleanliness rating of each heat or lot, as applicable, and stating that the product conforms to the
other technical requirements. This report shall include the purchase order number, heat and lot
numbers, MAM 6415B, size, and quantity. If forgings are supplied, the part number and the size and
melt source of stock used to make the forgings shall also be included.

4.5 Resampling and Retesting:

Shall be as follows:

4.5.1 Bars, Mechanical Tubing, and Forging Stock: In accordance with AMS 2370.

4.5.2 Forgings: In accordance with AMS 2372.

5. PREPARATION FOR DELIVERY:

5.1 Sizes:

Except when exact lengths or multiples of exact lengths are ordered, straight bars and tubing will be
acceptable in mill lengths of 2 to 6 meters but not more than 10% of any shipment shall be supplied
in lengths shorter than 3 meters.

5.2 Identification:

Shall be as follows:

5.2.1 Bars and Mechanical Tubing: In accordance with AMS 2806.

5.2.2 Forgings: In accordance with AMS 2808.

5.2.3 Forging Stock: As agreed upon by purchaser and vendor.

5.3 Packaging:

-7-
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

5.3.1 Bars and tubing ordered cold drawn, cold rolled, ground, turned, or polished shall be coated with a
corrosion-preventive compound prior to shipment.

5.3.2 The product shall be prepared for shipment in accordance with commercial practice and in
compliance with applicable rules and regulations pertaining to the handling, packaging, and
transportation of the product to ensure carrier acceptance and safe delivery.

6. ACKNOWLEDGMENT:

A vendor shall mention this specification number and its revision letter in all quotations and when
acknowledging purchase orders.

7. REJECTIONS:

Product not conforming to this specification, or to modifications authorized by purchaser, will be

subject to rejection.

8. NOTES:

8.1 The change bar ( l ) located in the left margin is for the convenience of the user in locating areas
where technical revisions, not editorial changes, have been made to the previous issue of this
specification. An (R) symbol to the left of the document title indicates a complete revision of the
specification.

8.2 Hardness conversion tables for metals are presented in ASTM E 140.

8.3 The Jominy hardenability report format has been changed to agree with the ASTM A 255 format.

8.4 Terms used in AMS are clarified in ARP1917 and as follows:

8.4.1 The term “mechanical tubing” as used in AMS means a heavy-walled cylindrical tubing, intended
primarily for the machining of circular rings, flanges, shafts, etc, having a wall thickness which is a
substantial proportion of the outer diameter; such tubing is not normally used for the transmission
of fluids, and parts made from it are usually machined all over. This product is sometimes known
as “hollow bar”.

8.5 Procurement documents should specify not less than the following:

MAM 6415B
Form and size or part number of product desired
Quantity of product desired.

-8-
 MAM 6415B SAE MAM 6415B

8.6 Similar Specifications:

MIL-S-5000 is listed for information only and shall not be construed as an acceptable alternate
unless all requirements of this MAM are met.

PREPARED UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF AMS COMMITTEE “E”

-9-