HSS
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | High-speed steel |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Science & Engineering |
HSS has two meanings. It stands for High-speed steel (engineering) or Hollow structural section (engineering).
Meanings of HSS at a glance
| # | HSS stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High-speed steel | Science & Engineering › Engineering |
| 2 | Hollow structural section | Science & Engineering › Engineering |
1. High-speed steel
Science & Engineering · Engineering Abbreviations
Tool steel alloyed with tungsten or molybdenum, chromium and vanadium that keeps its hardness at the high temperatures produced by fast cutting. HSS is used for drill bits, taps, end mills and saw blades where toughness and cost matter more than the extreme hardness of carbide.
Example: For drilling stainless at home, cobalt HSS bits are more forgiving than solid carbide.
Frederick Winslow Taylor and Maunsel White demonstrated heat-treated high-speed steel at the 1900 Paris Exposition, where tools cut steel while glowing red. Common grades include M2 and M42, the latter with cobalt. In structural engineering HSS has an entirely different meaning: hollow structural section.
2. Hollow structural section
Science & Engineering · Engineering Abbreviations
Steel tube with a square, rectangular or round cross-section used as columns, beams, braces and frames in buildings, bridges, towers and equipment. HSS members are efficient in compression and torsion and give a clean appearance for exposed steelwork.
Example: The canopy columns are HSS 6x6x3/8, filled with concrete for fire resistance.
In the United States HSS is commonly produced to ASTM A500 or A1085 and designed under AISC specifications; sizes give outside dimensions and wall thickness in inches. Europe and other regions call them structural hollow sections (SHS, RHS and CHS). The machining meaning, high-speed steel, is unrelated.
Related abbreviations
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- GTAW – Gas tungsten arc welding
- HAZ – Heat-affected zone
- HAZOP – Hazard and operability study
- HEPA – High-efficiency particulate air (filter)
- HMI – Human-machine interface
- HRC – Rockwell hardness C (scale)
- HVAC – Heating, ventilation and air conditioning
- ID – Inside diameter
- IP – Ingress protection (rating)
- LOTO – Lockout/tagout
- MEP – Mechanical, electrical and plumbing
- MERV – Minimum efficiency reporting value