Overview
EN 24883:1993 (ISO 4883:1978) specifies a solution X-ray fluorescence (XRF) method for quantitative determination of metallic elements in hardmetals and related carbides. The procedure applies to carbides of niobium, tantalum, titanium, vanadium, tungsten and zirconium, their mixtures with binder metals, and all grades of pre‑sintered or sintered hardmetals. The standard defines sample preparation, reagents, measurement and calibration practices to enable reproducible elemental analysis for quality control and material certification.
Key Topics
- Analytes covered: cobalt (Co), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), vanadium (V) and zirconium (Zr).
- Minimum contents: the standard refers to minimum element contents shown in table 1 (examples in the document include Co, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, V and Zr at 0.05% and Nb at 0.07%; Ta and W at 0.10%).
- Reagents: analytical‑grade hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid and a solvent mixture (recommended: 2 parts HF + 1 part HNO3 + 2 parts distilled water). Tartaric acid solution (200 g/L) is used as a stabiliser in the volumetric preparation.
- Sample preparation: crush sample in inert mortar, pass through a 2 mm sieve; perform analysis on two or three test portions.
- Dissolution and measurement: typical test portion is 2 ± 0.001 g dissolved in 20 mL of the solvent solution and heated on a water bath (30 minutes). After cooling, add tartaric acid solution, dilute to volume, filter and fill an acid‑resistant XRF cell (minimum 10 mm solution height) with a 6 µm polyethylene terephthalate window.
- Calibration: construct calibration curves using at least five calibration samples and an external standard of similar composition. Separate curves are required for different hardmetal types. Results are taken from the calibration curves using the ratio of sample to external standard count rates.
- Interferences and corrections: the method notes line interferences (for example Ti/W vs V) and requires background corrections and appropriate analytical lines per element.
Applications
- Production quality control: routine verification of binder and carbide elemental content in hardmetals.
- Material certification: generating validated compositional data for certificates of conformity.
- R&D and failure analysis: comparative composition studies where accurate multi‑element quantification is required.
Related Standards
- ISO 4883:1978 - original international specification referenced by EN 24883:1993.
- National adoptions (example: SIST EN 24883:2000) align the procedure for local regulatory and conformity assessment use.
This method provides a standardized, reproducible XRF workflow-combining controlled dissolution chemistry, calibrated measurement and documented tolerances-to deliver accurate multi‑element analysis of hardmetals and carbide materials.
