science

Meehanite

Meehanite is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Meehanite rather than just read about it. In short: Meehanite is a trademark for an engineering process to make a range of cast irons produced under specific and carefully controlled conditions to precise internationally recognized specifications. According to the Meehanite Worldwide company, when correctly followed the Meehanite process will produce cast iron with uniform soundness, consistent physical and mechanical properties and dependable performance in service.

Key takeaways

Meehanite belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Meehanite to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Meehanite from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Meehanite is a trademark for an engineering process to make a range of cast irons produced under specific and carefully controlled conditions to precise internationally recognized specifications. According to the Meehanite Worldwide company, when correctly followed the Meehanite process will produce cast iron with uniform soundness, consistent physical and mechanical properties and dependable performance in service. When a foundry advertises that it produces "Meehanite" it means that the foundry is licensed by Meehanite Metal Corporation to produce the family of Meehanite irons. The licensing agreement means, according to Meehanite, not only that the foundry is qualified but also that the licensed foundry is certified by audit to meet the required process standards. The Trademark name is owned by Meehanite Worldwide. Meehanite Worldwide has five franchises: The Meehanite Metal Corp located in Mequon, Wisconsin; The International Meehanite Metal Corp located in Finland; and franchises in Taiwan, South Africa, and Japan. The Meehanite specifications can be classified into three broad types: High duty flake or gray irons; high duty “nodular” or ductile iron (SG); and a group consisting of special types for applications requiring resistance to heat, wear and corrosion. Castings made by this method are used extensively to make machine tools, gears, sheaves, cylinder heads, valve bodies, rollers and other highly engineered applications.

History The Meehanite process was developed in the late 1920s and early 1930s, by the Ross Meehan foundry in Chattanooga, Tennessee. This initial discovery was based around the use of calcium silicide to inoculate irons melted in a controlled manner. This resulted in the development of cast irons of greater strength suitable for critical engineering applications. “The Meehanite Metal Corp” was led by Oliver Smalley to license the processes to foundries. Many other patented casting processes were also established. The company was successfully operated as such until the middle 1950s when the corporation was acquired by Harry Kessler. Harry Kessler was a St. Louis foundry entrepreneur who owned a competing process (Sorbomat) company. In 1987 the corporation was acquired by Finnish Foundry Group, now the Association of Finnish Foundry Product Industries.

Relevant patents U.S. patent 1,790,552, issued to Augustus F. Meehan in January 1931, is the initial patent on the process. This patent concerned a technique to make "grey iron castings" (note: this is the spelling exactly as it appears in the patent). The Meehanite Metal Corporation has a number of other patents on machinery for adding the inoculant agents to melts of iron in a controlled manner.

References

Further reading Sharma, Chandra P (2004). Engineering Materials-Properties and Applications of Metal and Alloys: Properties and Applications of Metals and Alloys. PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. ISBN 81-203-2448-X.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Meehanite

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Meehanite claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Meehanite before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Meehanite ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Meehanite

In research: Meehanite appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Meehanite in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Meehanite is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cast iron, Ferrous alloys, Iron, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Meehanite outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Meehanite in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Meehanite means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Meehanite out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Meehanite in simple terms?

Why does Meehanite matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Meehanite?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Meehanite.