Portable fiber-optic laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy system for the quantitative analysis of minor elements in steel

In this paper, we developed a portable laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) using an optical fiber to deliver laser energy and used it to quantitatively analyze minor elements in steel. The R² factors of calibration curves of elements Mn, Ti, V, and Cr in pig iron were 0.9965, 0.9983, 0.9963, and 0.991, respectively, and their root mean square errors of cross-validation were 0.0501, 0.0054, 0.0205, and 0.0245 wt%, respectively. Six test samples were used for the validation of the performance of the calibration curves established by the portable LIBS. The average relative errors of elements Mn, Ti, V, and Cr were 2.5%, 11.7%, 13.0%, and 5.6%, respectively. These results were comparable with most results reported in traditional LIBS in steel or other matrices. However, the portable LIBS is flexible, compact, and robust, providing a promising prospect in industrial application.