Spectrographic Determination of Certain Rare Earths in Stainless Steels

Abstract

The addition of a mixture of rare earth oxides or metals to molten steel has created an interest in the determination of the residual rare earths in the steel. A

Emission Spectroscopy

“…The amounts of cerium added are generally of the order of 0.01 to 0.10%. The cerium can be determined spectrographically follow'ing either chemical or electrolytic removal of the major interfering components (80,86,89). Also a direct spectrographic determination of cerium in cast iron has been reported (47).…”

Review - Ferrous Metallurgy

“…The specimens are then excited w'ith a direct current arc and their spectra recorded. The procedure is applicable to 1-gram samples of steel containing as little as 50 mg. of rare earths (82).…”