ISRI Entrance Examination flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Heavy Melting Steel (HMS)
- Ferrous scrap grade of plate and structural steel; #1 HMS requires thickness of at least 1/4 inch and limited dimensions, while #2 allows thinner or coated material.
- Bare Bright Copper
- Highest-grade copper scrap: unalloyed, uncoated, clean wire at least 1/16 inch in diameter, free of solder, paint, and oxidation.
- Eddy-current separation
- Sorting technique that uses rotating magnetic fields to repel conductive nonferrous metals like aluminum, separating them from heavier nonmagnetic materials.
- Austenitic stainless steel
- 300-series stainless with face-centered cubic structure; generally nonmagnetic and alloyed with nickel and chromium for corrosion resistance.
- Spark test
- Field identification method where metal is pressed against a grinding wheel; spark color, length, and burst pattern indicate carbon and alloy content.
- Net weight formula
- Net weight equals gross weight (loaded truck) minus tare weight (empty truck); both are recorded on the weigh ticket.
- RCRA
- Resource Conservation and Recovery Act; federal law governing hazardous and solid waste handling, storage, and disposal in the United States.
- Bill of lading
- Shipping document serving as receipt of goods, contract of carriage, and often document of title; lists shipper, consignee, commodity, and weight.
- Basis (commodity pricing)
- Difference between the local spot price and the referenced futures price; basis risk remains even when price risk is hedged.
- Zorba
- ISRI grade for shredded mixed nonferrous scrap, typically containing aluminum, copper, brass, and other metals recovered from shredder output.
- Inventory turnover
- Ratio of cost of goods sold to average inventory; indicates how quickly scrap inventory is processed and sold during a period.
- Lockout/tagout
- OSHA-required procedure that isolates energy sources before maintenance on balers, shredders, or conveyors to prevent unexpected startup.
- Galvanized steel
- Steel coated with zinc for corrosion protection; melting it releases zinc fume, requiring ventilation and worker protection.
- Guillotine shear
- Hydraulic cutting machine with a straight blade that reduces oversized ferrous scrap to furnace-acceptable dimensions.
- Gross ton
- Unit of weight equal to 2,240 pounds (long ton), commonly used when quoting ferrous scrap prices in the United States.
- Tare weight
- Weight of an empty truck or container, subtracted from gross weight to determine the net weight of the scrap load.
- NPDES stormwater permit
- Clean Water Act permit controlling discharge of stormwater runoff from industrial sites such as scrap yards into waters of the United States.
- Hedging
- Taking an offsetting position in futures or forwards to lock in a price and reduce exposure to commodity market fluctuations.
- Incoterms
- Standard international trade terms defining which party bears freight, insurance, and risk at each stage of shipment.
- DOT placard
- Diamond-shaped warning sign required on vehicles transporting hazardous materials, indicating the hazard class of the shipment.
- Accounts receivable aging
- Report classifying unpaid customer invoices by days outstanding to identify collection risk and manage credit exposure.
- Auto shredder residue
- Nonmetallic fluff remaining after shredding vehicles and appliances; requires landfill or energy recovery after ferrous and nonferrous recovery.
- Brass versus bronze
- Brass is a copper-zinc alloy, typically yellow; bronze is a copper-tin alloy, typically brownish; color and alloy tests distinguish them.
- Carbon content effect
- Increasing carbon in steel raises hardness and tensile strength but reduces ductility and weldability; cast iron exceeds 2.1% carbon.
- LME reference price
- London Metal Exchange published price for nonferrous metals such as copper and aluminum, used as a benchmark in scrap contracts.
- Cycle counting
- Periodic physical counting of selected inventory items and comparison to system records to detect shrinkage, misgrading, and record errors.
- Confined-space entry
- Entry into balers, tanks, or shredders requiring atmospheric testing, an attendant, and rescue procedures before personnel may enter.
- HS code for scrap
- Harmonized System classification number used on customs declarations to identify scrap commodity type for import and export.
- Magnetic separation
- Sorting method using magnets to pull ferrous material from a mixed stream, leaving nonferrous metals and other materials behind.
- Customer purchase agreement
- Written contract specifying grade, quantity, price basis, delivery terms, and payment terms between scrap buyer and seller.
- Margin per ton
- Revenue per ton minus processing, freight, and acquisition costs per ton; a key profitability indicator for scrap operations.
- Alloy contamination
- Presence of unwanted elements such as lead in aluminum or nickel in copper that lowers recovered metal value and may require segregation.