A GALVANIC CORROSION PROBLEM ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREPARATION OF MULTIMETALLIC BERYLLIUM SAMPLES

Artifacts were noticed in the microstructure of multimetallic beryllium samples that were polished on the Syntron vibratory polisher. The artifacts were at first erroneously attributed to diffusion of beryllium into the dissimilar metal. The real cause of the effect is thought to be caused by a galvanic corrosion which takes place during polishing. Small additions of sodium nitrate to the polishing slurry were found to eliminate the corrosion. (auth