J. I. H. Patterson, Oxford Instruments, Elk Grove Village, IL

Summary:

This talk will present a summary of the current status of the application of portable alloy analyzers to aerospace materials. The recent introduction of miniature X-ray tubes has revolutionized the design and performance of portable X-ray fluorescence (XRF) analyzers while mobile optical emission analyzers provide the capability of identifying and analyzing any alloy used in aerospace applications.

This talk will provide a brief discussion of the theory of these techniques and discuss the application of them to the specific alloys used in the aerospace industry. The talk will conclude with a discussion of recent research into the application of portable XRF to light metals such as aluminum and titanium.