The Development of an Automatic Apparatus for Dissolving Samples and Its Applications to the Analysis of Steels

Abstract

To rationalize the analytical procedures, an automatic apparatus for dissolving steel samples was developed and applied to prepare the solutions for the instruments of solution analysis.
The developed apparatus is composed of the devices for supplying chipped steel samples, adding the reagent solutions, dissolving by heating the solution, filtrating the prepared solution and storing the filtrates and precipitates.
When weighted chipped steel samples are placed on the sample feeder, the apparatus prepares 74 solutions automatically in one night. This apparatus is able to be appliedto many dissolving methods with acids such as HCl, HNO₃, HClO₄ and capable of judging the dissolving conditions.
The analysis of the solutions prepared by the apparatus were then carried out using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer, emission spectrometer and automatic solution analyzer. The results agreed with those obtained by the handwork.
The application of the newly developed apparatus to the routine analytical work has shown a remarkable improvement in work.