_STP_550-1986.pdf

NONDESTRUCTIVE RAPID IDENTIFICATION OF METALS AND ALLOYS BY SPOT TEST Reprinted with the permission of Langley Research Center,NASA.ASTM SPECIAL TECHNICAL PUBLICATION 550 04-550000-24 AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR TESTING AND MATERIALS 191 6 Race Street,Philadelphia,Pa.19103 Copyright by ASTM Intl(all rights reserved);Fri Jan 1 12:31:46 EST 2016Downloaded/printed byUniversity of Washington(University of Washington)pursuant to License Agreement.No further reproductions authorized.Library of Congress Catalog Card Number:73-90275 ISBN 0-8031-0528-2 NOTE The Society is not responsible,as a body,for the statements and opinions advanced in this publication.Second Printing,Mars,Pa.February 1986 Copyright by ASTM Intl(all rights reserved);Fri Jan 1 12:31:46 EST 2016Downloaded/printed byUniversity of Washington(University of Washington)pursuant to License Agreement.No further reproductions authorized.Contents Introduction 1 Test Techniques and Precautions 3 Charts,Identification of Metals and Alloys 5 Procedures for Determining the Alloys in Low Alloy Steels 27 Procedures for Determining the Alloys in Tool Steels 28 Procedures for Determining the Alloys in Nickel-Chromium-Iron Metals 29 Procedures for Determining the Alloys in Aluminum and Aluminum Alloys 32 Procedures for Determining the Alloys in Copper and Copper Alloys 33 Procedures for Determining the Alloys in Magnesium and Magnesium Alloys 38 Procedures for Determining the Metals in Titanium and Titanium Alloys 39 Procedures for Determining Pure Metals 42 Concluding Remarks 43 Appendixes 45 References 52 Index 53 Copyright by ASTM Intl(all rights reserved);Fri Jan 1 12:31:46 EST 2016Downloaded/printed byUniversity of Washington(University of Washington)pursuant to License Agreement.No further reproductions authorized.STP550-EB/Feb.1986 Introduction Quality assurance requirements at the Langley Research Center have given the impetus for the investigation and development of a reliable system of rapid identification of metals and alloys.Early in the investigation it became evident that the published existing systems were inadequate to meet the requirements at the Langley Research Center.To assure quality fabrication of hardware and maximum safety to per-sonnel,it is necessary to identify or verify the various metals and alloys involved.For example,if two or more metals are to be intelligently joined together by modern welding techniques,their identities are essential.Facili-ties for the identification of metals and alloys frequently require extensive time consuming procedures of chemical or spectrographic analyses.Facili-ties or techniques for nondestructive identification of the finished products likewise may be expensive or not developed.In an effort to establish a nondestructive,relatively simple,time saving system of identification of metals and alloys that could be utilized in shops or laboratories,experimentation and applied research was conducted in the Fabrication Section,Langley Research Center in 1968-69 with the metals and alloys then in use at the Center.Chemical spot test techniques were developed which affected only the amount of material equivalent to the stroke of a smooth file or cleaning with an abrasive cloth.Many of the tests are conducted on the surface of the metals.Some tests are performed in porcelain spot plate depressions while others are accomplished on qualitative filter paper.Conclusions relative to identification are derived from unique reactions or the colors produced by the addition of reagents.Known speci-mens of materials,when available,should be tested simultaneously for com-parison purposes and to build up the operators confidence in the test proce-dures and results.Families of metals and alloys considered in this system are aluminum and aluminum alloys,copper and copper alloys,magnesium and magnesium alloys,nickel and nickel alloys,stainless and heat resisting steels,carbon and low alloy steels,tool steels,titanium and titanium alloys,and some pure metals.The tests are qualitative;however,an analyst can intelligently reach semiquantative conclusions for most of the tests which produce color re-actions by comparison with simultaneous tests on known metals or alloys.Copyright?9 1986 by ASTM Intemational www.astm.org Copyright by ASTM Intl(all rights reserved);Fri Jan 1 12:31:46 EST 2016Downloaded/printed byUniversity of Washington(University of Washington)pursuant to License Agreement.No further reproductions authorized.M.L.Wilson STP550-EB/Feb.1986 Nondestructive Rapid Identification of Metals and Alloys by Spot Test Test Techniques and Precautions The analyst should familiarize himself with the metals and alloys he expects to encounter including normal processing methods involved in fabri-cating the finished products.He should become familiar with the flow dia-grams and procedures for determining constituent alloys in the various metal families listed in this publicati6n.Normal cleaning processes must be observed on metals at test are