Gages can grow
Hardened steel does have the propensity to grow. The growth is usually noticed in larger sizes because it is an in/in type growth. I do not know the size the gage in question, but if it is noticeably growing I expect that it is over an inch in diameter.
What happens is when the steel is hardened the modules are trapped in stasis. Slowly the molecules relax and as they relax they cause an expansion of the material. The gradual relaxation process takes about a year. The larger size the more the change is noticed. The tighter the tolerance the more the movement is noticed.
To combat this phenomenon gage makers require that their hardened steel be triple cold stabilized. The process requires the gage to be cycled three times through a freeze/thaw process. This procedure will reduce the probability of gage growth. Note the use of the word “reduce” instead of “eliminate”.
Hardened steel does have the propensity to grow. The growth is usually noticed in larger sizes because it is an in/in type growth. I do not know the size the gage in question, but if it is noticeably growing I expect that it is over an inch in diameter.
What happens is when the steel is hardened the modules are trapped in stasis. Slowly the molecules relax and as they relax they cause an expansion of the material. The gradual relaxation process takes about a year. The larger size the more the change is noticed. The tighter the tolerance the more the movement is noticed.
To combat this phenomenon gage makers require that their hardened steel be triple cold stabilized. The process requires the gage to be cycled three times through a freeze/thaw process. This procedure will reduce the probability of gage growth. Note the use of the word “reduce” instead of “eliminate”.
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