Without carbon there would be no cast iron or steel, as it has been the reducing agent used to liberate metallic iron from its ores since the earliest times. A few tenths of a percent difference in carbon content can have a dramatic effect on the mechanical properties of iron and steel, so its accurate measurement is critical to ferrous metallurgy.
OES using an electric spark source is one of the most popular methods to measure carbon in iron and steel, however, this method can be prone to errors traceable to the granular nature of the material and the presence of particles of “free” carbon in the form of graphite. These errors can be overcome by careful sample preparation techniques, but a high degree of skill and experience is required to achieve reproducible and reliable results.
In this sponsored webinar, Dan Soisson, Field Product Manager, discusses new developments in OES technology to detect and analyze suboptimal samples to achieve results comparable to “total carbon” measuring techniques such as combustion analysis. Techniques and methods will be explained for detection of “free” carbon in the sample to help make the process more efficient.