This article describes a procedure to overcome this bias by coupling a standardized chill casting procedure with a relatively simple and rugged XRF surface preparation technique.
Metal alloys are homogeneous elemental mixtures that can be thought of as solid solutions.
The metallurgical addition of fixed amounts of alloying elements, such as silicon into aluminum, change the physical characteristics and the microstructure of the alloy. Basically, it requires that the surface be flat and representative of the entire material. The use of rough grinding or belt sanding to flatten and clean the analytical surface usually meets these requirements in most single-phase alloys. They can exist in a variety of tempers and mixed metal phases. One example is the T6 temper, which is the result of a thermal treatment commonly called a solution heat treat and artificial age.