Method for locating metallic nitride inclusions in metallic alloy ingots
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Interior
InventorsJack C. White, Davis E. Traut, Laurance L. Oden, Roman A. Schmitt
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Abstract
A method of determining the location and history of metallic nitride and/or oxynitride inclusions in metallic melts. The method includes the steps of labeling metallic nitride and/or oxynitride inclusions by making a coreduced metallic-hafnium sponge from a mixture of hafnium chloride and the chloride of a metal, reducing the mixed chlorides with magnesium, nitriding the hafnium-labeled metallic-hafnium sponge, and seeding the sponge to be melted with hafnium-labeled nitride inclusions. The ingots are neutron activated and the hafnium is located by radiometric means. Hafnium possesses exactly the proper metallurgical and radiochemical properties for this use.
Claims12
A method of quantitatively determining the dissolution history of metallic nitride inclusions in metallic melts, comprising the steps of:
- preparing a mixture of the halide of a metal and hafnium halide;
- coreducing the mixture to form a metallic-hafnium alloy sponge;
- nitriding or reacting in air the metallic-hafnium alloy sponge to form hafnium-labeled nitride or oxynitride inclusions;
- seeding the metallic sponge to be melted with the hafnium-labeled nitride pieces to form ingots;
- neutron activating the ingots;
- and
- determining the hafnium location in the ingots by radiometric means.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.