The carbon contents in carburized steels were investigated by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) for a range of carbon levels in the solid solution less than 1 wt%. This article describes the difficulties encountered with the classic analytical procedure using the k ratio of X-ray intensities and the phi(rhoz) model. Here, a suitable calibration curve method is presented with emphasis on the m...

Specimen preparation using abrasives results in surface and subsurface mechanical (stresses, strains), geometrical (roughness), chemical (contaminants, reaction products) and physical modifications (structure, texture, lattice defects). The mechanisms involved in polishing with abrasives are presented to illustrate the effects of surface topography, surface and subsurface composition and induce...

Corophium volutator (Pallas) has been recommended by the paris Commission as one of the standard species for testing chemical used in offshore oil and gas exploration/production. In the present study, gut contents of Corophium volutator have been analysed by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) for BaSO4 and other heavy metal impurities after exposure tto spiked sediments followin...

The type specimen of peisleyite has been reinvestigated by a combination of scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and synchrotron powder X-ray diffraction. Morphological investigation showed that mats of peisleyite crystals, individually <3 mm across, are intergrown with wavellite veinlets to form the white cryptocrystalline material that is typical of ‘peisleyite’. ...

An electron probe X-ray microanalysis (EPMA) technique using an energy-dispersive X-ray detector with an ultra-thin window, designated low-Z particle EPMA, has been developed. The low-Z particle EPMA allows the quantitative determination of concentrations of low-Z elements such as C, N, and O, as well as higher-Z elements that can be analyzed by conventional energydispersive EPMA. The quantitat...

In conjunction with microstructural interpretation, variation of the Sr/Ca ratio in otoliths of Platycephalus bassensis have been determined in an effort to uncover the role of biomineralisation in otolith trace element uptake. After subsequent microstructural analysis by Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD), Sr/Ca ratios across otolith growth rings were determined by Electron Probe Microana...

A liquation cracking mechanism of dissimilar Al alloys during the friction stir welding (FSW) is suggested in this study. To identify the mechanism, the precipitates were analyzed and Al-Mg-Cu phase diagrams were calculated. Electron backscattering diffraction (EBSD) analysis and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) were also conducted. In the same manner as constitutional liquation, at high hea...

Fluorine and chlorine X‐ray count rates are known to vary significantly during electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) of apatite. Since the rate, timing, and magnitude of this variation are a function of apatite orientation and composition, as well as EPMA operating conditions, this represents a significant problem for volatile element analysis in apatite. Although the effect is thought to be an i...