ASTM_E_1916_-_11.pdf

Designation:E191611Standard Guide forIdentification of Mixed Lots of Metals1This standard is issued under the fixed designation E1916;the number immediately following the designation indicates the year oforiginal adoption or,in the case of revision,the year of last revision.A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval.Asuperscript epsilon()indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.1.Scope1.1 This guide covers the identification or segregation,orboth,of mixed metal lots under plant conditions using trainedplant personnel.1.2 The identification is not intended to have the accuracyand reliability of procedures performed in a laboratory usinglaboratory equipment under optimum conditions,and per-formed by trained chemists or technicians.The identification isnot intended to establish whether a given piece or lot of metalmeets specifications.1.3 Segregation of certain metal combinations is not alwayspossible with procedures provided in this guide and can besubject to errors.1.4 This standard does not purport to address all of thesafety concerns,if any,associated with its use.It is theresponsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.2.Referenced Documents2.1 ASTM Standards:2E50 Practices for Apparatus,Reagents,and Safety Consid-erations for Chemical Analysis of Metals,Ores,andRelated MaterialsE135 Terminology Relating to Analytical Chemistry forMetals,Ores,and Related MaterialsE977 Practice for Thermoelectric Sorting of ElectricallyConductive Materials3.Terminology3.1 DefinitionsFor definitions of terms used in this testmethod,refer to Terminology E1354.Significance and Use4.1 Equipment and procedures described in this guide arecomparative methods and are intended for identification orsegregation,or both,of pieces or lots of metals that were mixedor lost their identity during certain manufacturing operations.Itis presumed that all pieces or lots of metal have beenpreviously checked and did meet applicable specifications.4.2 The equipment and procedures described in this guidemay also be suitable for identifying or segregating,or both,scrap metals.5.Equipment5.1 Atomic Emission Spectroscopic or Spectrometric Equip-ment:5.1.1 Bench type spectroscopes generally with two sampletables and a split viewing field where the spectrum of theunknown piece can be visually and directly compared to that ofa piece of identified metal.5.1.2 Mobile spectrometric equipment with a remote sam-pling device.Two types of such units are described in 5.1.2.1and 5.1.2.2.5.1.2.1 Units where the particles removed by an arc or sparkin the remote sampling device are conveyed to the main unit ina stream of inert gas and analyzed in the unit with an arc,spark,or plasma.5.1.2.2 Units where the light generated from the arc or sparkat the remote sampling device is conveyed to the main unitwith fiberoptics,where it is analyzed.(a)These units generally are programmed to produce anoutput that:(1)shows the designation of the alloy,(2)gives theapproximate elemental composition of the alloy,or(3)gives a“go”or“no-go”indication based on parameters programmedby the operator.(b)These units require careful calibration and depend on thequality and range of the reference materials used for thecalibration.5.2 X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometric Equipment:5.2.1 The portable and mobile units are supplied with asource of radiation that can be an X-ray tube or radioactiveisotopes,generally a mixture of two or more isotopes toprovide a larger spectrum coverage.5.2.1.1 These units are generally programmed to produce anoutput that:(1)shows the designation of the alloy,(2)gives the1This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee E01 on AnalyticalChemistry for Metals,Ores,and Related Materials and is the direct responsibility ofSubcommittee E01.20 on Fundamental Practices.Current edition approved Sept.1,2011.Published September 2011.Originallyapproved in 1997.Last previous edition approved in 2004 as E1916-97(2004).DOI:10.1520/E1916-11.2For referenced ASTM standards,visit the ASTM website,www.astm.org,orcontact ASTM Customer Service at serviceastm.org.For Annual Book of ASTMStandards volume information,refer to the standards Document Summary page onthe ASTM website.Copyright ASTM International,100 Barr Harbor Drive,PO Box C700,West Conshohocken,PA 19428-2959.United States1 approximate elemental composition of the alloy,or(3)gives a“go”or“no-go”indication based on parameters programmedby the operator(see 5.1.2.2(b).5.3 Miscellaneous Sorting Instruments:5.3.1 All instruments based on comparative methods requirecareful calibration with appropriate reference materials.5.3.2 Thermoelectric ComparatorsInstruments are basedon the Seeback Effect.These instruments are not for identifi-cation of alloys,but for segregation of one metal alloy fromanother(see Practice E977).5.3.3 Eddy-current InstrumentationThese instrum