Plasma-Arc Studies for Alloy Analysis

Abstract

An evaluation of the plasma-arc spectrochemical technique for alloy analysis was made. Matrix effects were studied and found to be present at all concentrations investigated, but were not significant enough to preclude the use of one set of standards for any one particular base metal. The application of the technique for the analysis of aluminum, iron, nickel, and possibly cobalt base alloys has been demonstrated using identical operating conditions and with only three sets of standards. Tungsten was determined with a graphite cap covering the plasma's tungsten transfer electrode to prevent spectral lines from this source. The maintenance required by the nebulizer is the main disadvantage of the technique.