Cracking of Molded Components
An injection molded component in a consumer product was found to have an increased failure rate over a three-month period.
Detecting the Invisible: How Full Survey Chemical Analysis Prevents Aerospace Failures
In the high-stakes world of aerospace engineering, some of the most dangerous threats to a mission aren’t visible to the naked eye. While designers focus on aerodynamics, weight, and strength, a silent risk lurks beneath the surface: chemical impurities. Fortunately, one analytical tool is available as a linchpin in stopping these failures before they start: Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry (GDMS).
GDMS is uniquely capable of detecting elemental impurities at ultra-trace levels, making it an essential tool for verifying material purity in everything from jet engine turbine blades to spacecraft fasteners. GDMS is helping the aerospace industry detect the invisible and prevent irreversible damage.
Purity Meets Aerospace
The mechanical and thermal demands for aerospace materials are extreme. Jet engines, rocket thrusters, and structural components endure enormous heat, stress, and fatigue cycles.
Even trace (parts per million) or ultra-trace (parts per billion) amounts of unwanted contaminants can:
- Promote intergranular embrittlement
- Accelerate oxidation or creep
- Trigger stress-corrosion cracking
- Cause premature component failure
These failures can be financially devastating, or in the worst cases, have mortal consequences. This reiterates that materials purity is not just a quality concern; it’s a mission-critical requirement.
GDMS: The Purity Guardian
Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry is one of the most sensitive and comprehensive full-survey analytical techniques for evaluating the elemental composition of metallic as well as non-metallic solids. Its unique capabilities make it the gold standard in aerospace materials testing:
- Quantifies trace elements down to sub-ppm and ppb levels
- Analyzes virtually ALL elements in the periodic table
- Works on conductive and non-conductive solids directly without digestion
- Detects bulk and near-surface composition simultaneously
Unlike techniques that only provide surface-level data or require dissolution of the sample, GDMS offers direct solid analysis with minimal matrix effects. This makes it ideal for high-purity materials like superalloys, refractory metals and alloys, titanium alloys, aluminum-lithium or aluminum-scandium systems, ceramics and composites used in demanding aerospace applications.
GDMS Beyond Metals
While most people assume that GDMS only looks at bulk conductive solids, it also plays a role in:
- Additive manufacturing: Analyzing purity of feedstock powders for 3D-printed aerospace parts.
- Thermal barrier coatings: Ensuring ceramic coatings don’t contain volatile contaminants that could outgas in high-vacuum conditions.
- Conversion coatings: Evaluating depth-specific distributions of elements in coatings, interfaces and diffusion regions between the top layers and the base substrate.
- Solder and brazing alloys: Verifying trace halides or residual components that could degrade electronic components or fuel systems.
In short, wherever purity matters in aerospace, GDMS is becoming the go-to solution for full-spectrum elemental insight.
Takeaway
Aerospace materials must meet extreme performance demands, but those demands can be undone by undetected contaminants at trace and ultra-trace levels. Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry stands at the front line of defense, detecting elemental impurities early in the production cycle, long before they become failure points.
At EAG Laboratories, our scientists worldwide bring decades of specialized experience in high-precision GDMS analysis tailored to the aerospace industry. From qualifying a new titanium billet, validating 3D-printed components, or seeking certification for space-grade alloys, our team provides rigorous trace element analysis for your materials demand. We work closely with clients to interpret results, troubleshoot unexpected contaminants, and ensure every component meets the utmost purity standards.
As aerospace technologies evolve toward hypersonic aircrafts, and lighter, stronger materials, purity control by GDMS will only become more essential. In the mission to reach higher, go farther, and stay safe, GDMS helps us see what others can’t and protect what matters most. When failure is not an option, EAG Laboratories delivers certainty you can launch with.
Related Resources
- Webinar: GDMS Webinar
- Application Note: Compositional and traceability analysis of lithium ores and concentrates by LA-ICP-MS and GDMS
- Blog: Aerospace Materials Testing for Tunnel Junction Solar Cells
- Blog: Failure Analysis in Aersoapce Advancements
- Blog: Meeting Material Purity Requirements with GDMS
- Technique: GDMS
- Industry: Aerospace
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