A Methodology to Inter-Compare Brass and Such Alloys Manufactured at Different Geographical Locations

Abstract

This paper is about a method developed to normalize the Time of Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) data counts of each constituent ion in a mass spectra, by dividing each ion count with the total ion count. So by comparing their statistical means, data of different samples of any alloy like brass etc. from different places around the world can be inter-compared using TOF-SIMS data collected using similar separate instruments under similar experimental conditions. Such a methodology can also be extended to analysis of constituents of other materials using TOF-SIMS as well. Here, all brass samples were chosen on a representative global basis and had similar end uses. Variations in normalized mean counts of major constituent ions suggest that brass produced in different parts of the world for similar uses can be a little different in composition and can be readily identified and distinguished using their normalized statistical mean ion counts using TOF-SIMS. Their performance does not drastically change due to variation in such constituents of the alloy as the thermal treatments used on them were possibly different. Based on these observations, it was felt that unless there is a drastic change in any alloys’ micro-structure or crystalline phase properties, there will be no drastic change in its properties with variation of its’ major or minor alloying constituents. Data from literature using different aluminum alloys as a representative example and using their available data on micro-hardness and noting their variation with alloying also suggests such a phenomena