ASTM International

Standard Practice for Sampling Aluminum Ingots, Billets, Castings and Finished or Semi-Finished Wrought Aluminum Products for Compositional Analysis
 N B985

Annotation

This practice describes procedures for sampling unwrought aluminum ingots, billets, castings and finished or semi-finished wrought aluminum products to obtain a representative sample for determining chemical composition.

Chemical compositions determined from samples obtained in accordance with this standard practice may differ from the bulk chemical composition determined from samples taken when ingots or castings are poured. These differences can be due to elemental segregation that occurs during solidification, procedures that remove enriched material (e.g. ingot scalping), or procedures that remove depleted areas (e.g. removal of the riser from a casting).

Analysis of samples obtained from unwrought aluminum ingots, billets, and castings and finished or semi-finished wrought aluminum products can be used to determine if the piece sampled meets The Aluminum Association, Inc. registered chemical composition limits or other specified chemical composition limits for the alloy. Analysis of such samples shall not supersede the analysis of samples taken during pouring of castings or ingots in accordance with E716 and analyzed in accordance with E607, E1251, E34, or EN 14242 and shall not be used for determining compliance with chemical composition requirements for an entire cast lot or part thereof.

NOTE 1-Pieces may include ingots, forgings, coils, sheets, extrusions, castings, etc. A single unwrought ingot or billet may produce multiple finished or semi-finished pieces.

NOTE 2-Certification of entire cast lots should be determined using samples taken during pouring of castings or ingots in accordance with E716 and analyzed in accordance with E607, E1251, E34, or EN 14242.