An invaluable component of a failure analysis or corrosion investigation is the chemical analysis of metals. Used for multiple purposes, chemical analysis is crucial in the identification of manufacturing difficulties, completion of quality control requirements, and reverse engineering of components that need to be recreated.

Material chemical composition analysis and verification ensures that each component or raw stock material is produced in accordance with the correct material alloy specification. Chemical composition analysis can be performed using various methods that compare results against the appropriate industry standards, such as ASTM, SAE, and more. Our team of experts routinely analyzes the alloying content of a wide range of materials including, but not limited to iron, steel, aluminum, copper, nickel, zinc, titanium, and lead.

For metals, the Optical Emission Spectrometry (OES) technique utilizes a high-energy spark created between an electrode and a sample of the material to be analyzed. The spark creates an emission of radiation from the excited sample surface with wavelengths characteristic of the elemental chemical composition. The spectrum of radiation is separated into the distinct element lines and the intensity of each line is measured. Finally, these are precisely converted into concentration values for each element present.

OES continues to be the reference technique for direct chemical analysis of solid metallic samples. The unmatched combination of accuracy, high speed, precision, stability, and reliability have made it an indispensable tool for production and verification of quality metal products.