A Brief Introduction to Alloy Phase Chemistry Determination under EPMA/SEM-EDS Conditions and its Applications

Abstract

A so called multiphase separation method (MPSM) is proposed to quantitatively separate precipitated phases from their surrounding matrix phase in chemistry for bulk alloy/steel samples under EPMA/SEM-EDS measurement conditions. Applied examples to comparisons of the results through the MPSM with the values either cited or obtained via other analytical means relevant are indicative of the feasibility, accuracy as well as applicability of the MPSM, which deal with chemistry, amount, lattice parameter, elemental partitioning, atomic-site occupancy and stability of precipitated phases of either superalloy or heat-resistant steel samples analyzed. Successful applications of the MPSM not only show a significant improvement for difficulties in accurate quantification in phase chemistry under the EPMA/SEM-EDS measurement conditions but also provide with a useful and helpful tool to determine some other important physical quantities in alloys and steels, which make it possible to quantitatively and more widely evaluate structure-property relationships of the materials investigated through analyzing their bulk samples under EPMA/SEM-EDS measurement conditions.