{"id":3189,"date":"2026-06-24T16:13:03","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/wiki\/spectral-analysis\/"},"modified":"2026-06-24T16:13:03","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T14:13:03","slug":"spectral-analysis","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/glossary\/spectral-analysis\/","title":{"rendered":"Spectral analysis"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"glossar-eintrag\">\n<p><strong>Definition:<\/strong> Spectral analysis is an analytical method for determining the chemical composition of a material on the basis of characteristic emission or absorption spectra. It uses the element-specific spectral lines for qualitative and quantitative analysis. In <a class=\"tc-inlink\" href=\"\/en\/materials-engineering\/\">materials engineering<\/a>, it is used to determine alloying and trace elements.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Practical relevance:<\/strong> Typical methods are optical emission spectroscopy (OES), X-ray fluorescence analysis (XRF) or ICP-OES. Detection limits and accuracy depend on the method and the sample preparation. Applications include incoming goods inspections, PMI testing and failure analyses. Results are compared with normative <a class=\"tc-inlink\" href=\"\/en\/materials-engineering\/creation-testing-material-specifications\/\">material specifications<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Decision-making perspectives:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Technical decision-makers:<\/strong> Ensuring the correct material composition in safety-relevant components.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Purchasing\/project management:<\/strong> Verification of supplier assurances in accordance with material standards.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Science:<\/strong> Validation of analytical accuracy and comparison of different spectrometry methods.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Insurance\/law:<\/strong> Documented proof of material deviations in liability cases.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Typical testing or verification methods:<\/strong> OES, XRF, ICP-OES, comparison with reference materials.<\/p>\n<p><strong>FAQ:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>What is the difference between OES and XRF?<\/li>\n<li>OES uses emission lines after spark excitation, whereas XRF measures fluorescent X-rays without removing material.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[],"class_list":["post-3189","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/3189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.technical-center.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=3189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}