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Understand material performance with the Axia ChemiSEM System
When materials need to stand up to harsh conditions, understanding microscopic characteristics can be key to overall performance. The Thermo Scientific Axia ChemiSEM System makes it possible to see both the structure and the chemical composition of your materials, so you can easily see how samples degrade over time, what causes material changes, and why a material failed.
Analyzing refractories for steel industry applications
In steel production, refractories endure extreme conditions, including molten metal temperatures exceeding 1,650°C and corrosive environments. These operating conditions result in erosion and reduced service lifespans of the casting nozzles, which makes thoroughly monitoring the integrity of the nozzles crucial for production output. By combining scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with real-time elemental analysis via ChemiSEM Technology, the Axia ChemiSEM System enables detailed characterization of refractory composites commonly used in continuous casting nozzles, including zirconia mullite (ZM), brown fused alumina (BFA), and fused silica.
The Axia ChemiSEM System can rapidly detect contaminants using large-area imaging for steel industry applications.
Using large-area imaging, the Axia ChemiSEM System generates precise elemental maps that differentiate the characterized materials and rapidly detect contaminants. For example, it identifies silicon-rich oxide impurities in ZM and highlights potential contaminants in BFA originating from bauxite ore processing.
Analysis of corroded steel
Hot rolling processes produce an oxide layer known as scale on the surface of the steel strip. This scale must be removed, often by pickling via immersion in an acid solution, before further processing. However, the scale can leave stains behind on what should be uniform, clean steel surfaces.
The Axia ChemiSEM System can analyze the morphology and composition of theses defects within minutes. On one sample, the stains were found to contain high levels of oxygen and unexpected chlorides, indicating residual contamination from incomplete washing after pickling in hydrochloric acid.
Left: ChemiSEM image showing the two areas used for the region analyses. Right: Spectra acquired on the foreign particle and on a clean etched steel surface. The comparison shows the presence of the chlorine peaks (the main peak (Kα) is visible at 2.621 keV) and a higher content of oxygen (Kα at 0.525 keV) in the foreign particle. Accelerating voltage 15 keV, beam current 0.44 nA, acquisition time 30 s.
By providing rapid, detailed mapping of defects and enabling precise identification of contaminants, the Axia ChemiSEM System can support process improvements to eliminate future surface stains.
Root cause analysis of steel bend failures
Steel often needs to be shaped and curved, requiring sufficient ductility to bend without cracking. High-strength, low-alloy (HSLA) steel, with its low carbon content, offers improved formability. However, in cases of failure, understanding the root cause is essential.
The Axia ChemiSEM System’s combination of SEM imaging and EDS analysis can help you rapidly and efficiently analyze failure mechanisms. In one example using backscattered electron imaging and EDS mapping, the investigation identified non-metallic inclusions, primarily aluminum and magnesium-aluminum oxides.
Backscattered electron image highlighting an inclusion stringer on the right of the crack. A higher magnification view of the inclusions in the stringer is shown in the right image.
These inclusions were observed at the base of the fractured area in the form of a stringer, suggesting they may have contributed to the cracking.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.