Testing Titanium Turnings
Global Titanium purchases titanium turnings from machine shops and consolidators and uses them to produce ferrotitanium. Because these turnings are a product of machining operations they are contaminated with oil and moisture. Global Titanium has developed an extensive settlement process for determining the oil, moisture, and magnetic content of titanium turnings.
The
first step in the settlement process is to take a representative sample of
the lot of turnings received. This is accomplished in one of two ways.
For shipments that arrive in boxes or bales, holes are cut in the packages approximately
one-third of the way up from the bottom of the package and samples are extracted
from that location. For a boxed or baled shipment, samples are taken from a
minimum of half the packages. For shipments that arrive loose in a
dumptruck, samples are taken from various locations around the pile of
turnings. The samples are gathered at one to two feet above ground
level. In both cases, samples are taken either during or immediately
following unloading. This guarantees that samples are representative
of the condition of the turnings upon receipt.
Once
the sample has been gathered, it is taken to the laboratory. In the
laboratory, the sample is weighed to obtain the wet weight of the turnings.
The turnings are then washed for approximately 30 minutes in one of two
Branson ultrasonic cleaners to remove any oils and dirt. Following the
wash, the turnings are rinsed for another 30 minutes and then dried to
remove the moisture. Following this process, the sample is re-weighed
to determine the weight of the oil and moisture that was removed. Once
a dry weight is recorded, magnetics are removed from the sample and the
sample is weighed yet again to determine the weight of the magnetics that
were removed.
For each lot of turnings, two analyses are taken and the results of the two are averaged to determine the results for the lot. These results are then forwarded on to the buyer for settlement and communication with the vendor.
