The preparation of analysis samples of hard materials with a boron carbide mortar

Abstract

Boron carbide has advantages as a grinding medium for hard ceramic materials. Owing to its hardness the contamination is slight and does not interfere with the normal chemical analysis.

Contamination that occurs when grinding fused alumina, sillimanite, silicon carbide and magnesite has been determined by a spectrometric method. The degree of contamination introduced by the boron carbide appears to be an order of magnitude lower than when a 95 per cent. alumina mortar is used.