Almen Strips

Electronics Inc. — The Almen Strip Experts since 1987

• Proven in the field
• Repeatable performance
• Consistent quality
• Trusted worldwide

Electronics Incorporated manufactures and distributes certified Almen strips. We oversee and are responsible for every aspect of the manufacturing process to ensure that EI strips are of consistent quality, give repeatable results, and are shipped promptly. EI can provide strips to any specification—from standard MIL specifications to rigid aerospace specs. Our Almen "A", "N" and "C" strips in Grades^sm 3, 2, 1, and 1-S are pre-qualified and ready-to-use.

Note: our strips are inspected in compliance with SAE standards which requires use of the #2 Almen gage for pre-bow measurements. Any other equipment, such as laser measurements etc, does not meet the requirements of SAE J 442 or AMS 2430. Laboratory tests have shown significant differences (errors) with strips measured with laser equipment.

An Electronics Inc. staff member tests Almen strips hardness. EI is responsible for every aspect of the manufacturing process to ensure that our strips are of consistent quality and give repeatable results.		Electronics Inc. maintains a large Almen strip inventory for immediate shipping.

“A”, “N”, “C” Almen Strips Selector Guide
How to Select Almen Strips by Type and Grade
Almen Strips Specification Selector Guide
High Hardness “A” Strips
Aluminum Strips
Almen Aero Aluminum Strips
Almen Strips FAQs
Almen Strip Consistency Testing Results (Downloads as a PDF)

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How to Select Almen Strips by Type and Grade

• By Type: Almen strips are classified into 3 types: 'A', 'N', and 'C'. They differ in their thickness but have the same width and length. The type of strip is usually specified by the part designer.
  • "A" strips are used for medium intensity applications. "A" strips are predominantly used for shot peening with cast shot or cut wire shot.
  • "N" strips are used for low intensity applications. "N" strips are used usually for glass bead and ceramic bead peening.
  • "C" strips are used for high intensity applications.
• By Grade: (see notes)
  • Grade 3 - Bulk (A-3, N-3, C-3)
    Grade 3 strips are guaranteed to meet the requirement of MIL-S-13165 (now AMS-S-13165). Type A-3 strip is guaranteed to meet National Stock Number NSN 6635-00-512-1892. Grade 3 strips are economically-priced and bulk-packaged.
  • Grade 2 - Standard (A-2, N-2, C-2)
    Meets AMS-S-13165. Excess oil is removed from the Grade 2 Standard strips. The strip surfaces are then visually inspected for score marks, scratches, nicks, burrs, pits and rust. Strips are certified using a sampling inspection plan for hardness, length, width, thickness, and flatness. A dated certification of compliance is issued, signed and archived. We then package "A" and "N" strips in groups of 50 and "C" strips in groups of 25.
  • Grade 1 - Premium Grade (A-1, N-1, C-1)
    Meets SAE J442. Electronics Incorporated performs all the inspection and packaging operations listed for Grade 2 strips. Strips are sample inspected for flatness (±.001-inch) on each side. A dated certification of compliance is issued, signed and archived. The Premium Grade 1 strips are identified by batch control number which provides traceability.
  • Grade 1S - Special Grade (A-1S, N-1S, C-1S)
    Meets SAE AMS 2432B. In addition to requirements for Premium Grade 1, the Grade 1S strips are inspected to ±.0005-inch flatness tolerance of AMS 2432B. A dated certification of compliance is issued, signed and archived.

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Electronics Incorporated High Hardness “A” Strips

High Hardness strips are laboratory-grade strips used for very high intensity peening process evaluation. Dimensions are 3.00'' length x .75'' width (76.2 mm x 19.05 mm) and thickness is .051'' (1.2954 mm).

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Electronics Incorporated Aluminum Strips

Length and Width
Type W, X, Y: 2.985-3.015 length x .740-.760 width
Type Z: 2.985-3.015 length x .748-.752 width
 

Notes:

AMS-S-13165 has been cancelled with instructions to use AMS 2430.  For more information see Almen Strips FAQ page.