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Opening Size
The area enclosed by bonds and strands.
Overall Thickness
This is the finished thickness and often determines the selection of framing members.
Percent of Open Area
These important relative percentages are used by designers to calculate the degree with which light or air can pass through a piece of expanded metal.
Pitch
The measurement from a point on one diamond to the same point on an adjacent diamond.
Strand
The single metal strip which forms the border of the diamond, or opening. Strand width is the amount of material advanced for expanding as differentiated from strand thickness which is the thickness of metal from which the expanded metal is produced.
Style
The gauge or thickness of metal from which expanded metal is made. Usually, but not always, this conforms to manufacturer's standard gauges. Style is expressed by a number. Grating style is expressed in pounds per square foot.
Formability
Each piece should be able to take a 90 degree bend with a 1/4 inch inside radius in either direction, without fracture.
Leveling
All expanded metal products except grating are leveled after having been expanded.
Out of Square
Expanded metal sheets are generally not perfectly square when finished. Sheets must be re-squared by shearing on all sides for perfect squareness. Reshearing at the mill is not usually done since most sheets are sheared to size by the customer.
Camber
Bow in sheet. It is measured by placing a straight edge along the concave side of the sheet parallel to LWD, touching both ends of the sheet. The maximum distance between the edge of the expanded metal and the straight edge is the camber. A sheet may be within tolerance and still have camber.
Regular Expanded Metal
Sheet simultaneously slit and stretched into a grid, non-raveling open mesh. It is readily available in carbon steel, aluminum, and stainless steel.
Flattened Expanded Metal
Manufactured by processing regular expanded metal in a rolling mill. This rolling reduces the thickness of the sheet and provides a smooth flat surface.
Expanded Metal Grating
Sheet or plate expanded into a structural open grating ideal for catwalk and platform application.
Decorative Expanded Metal
Manufactured with unique shaped openings which posses great appeal for architects and designers.
Stair Treads
Expanded metal grating stair treads are fabricated using 4# grating, angles and bars. They are shipped ready for installation on the job.
Finishing
Limited finishes can be accomplished at manufacturing plants. This includes hot dip galvanizing and pre-galvanizing.
Sheet Size
While expanded metal can be manufactured in many varying sheet sizes, practical limitations are such that it is wise to select sheet sizes shown by catalog.
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