THE INSTITUTE FOR CERTIFIED REFERENCE MATERIALS MARKS THE 55TH ANNIVERSARY OF FOUNDATION. DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION OF CERTIFIED REFERENCE MATERIALS FOR METALLURGICAL PRODUCTION

The Institute for Certified Reference Materials (ICRM) is going to celebrate the 55^th anniversary in March 2018. The results of the ICRM activities in development and production of the certified reference materials (CRM) of raw materials and materials of metallurgical production over the past five years are considered. The nomenclature of the CRM produced by the ICRM includes raw materials (ores and concentrates, ferroalloys and ligatures, fluxes, refractories), metals (cast iron, steel, nickel-base alloys) and waste of metallurgical production (slags and metallurgical fly ashes). To approve the competence, the ICRM has been accredited as a producer of reference materials (RMP) in accordance with the requirements of the International Standard ISO Guide 34:2009 (ISO Guide 34). Testing analytical center of the ICRM (TC) applies both classical methods of chemical analysis (methods of «wet chemistry») and modern physicochemical and physical methods. TC is accredited in accordance with GOST ISO/IEC 17025 – 2009 in the National accreditation system. The competence of Testing Centre has been repeatedly approved by the results of inter-laboratory comparative tests for certification of reference materials produced abroad including those from the European Union (ECRM). The inter-laboratory tests (proficiency tests — PT) are performed by the Provider, ICRM accredited in the National Accreditation System for compliance with the requirements of GOST ISO/IEC 17043:2013. We consider and analyze contradictions in the statutory regulation and resulting difficulties encountered in the activities of producers of reference materials in Russia. The approval of reference materials to be used in the state system for ensuring the uniformity of measurements is possible only on the basis of positive test results. This procedure (RM testing for type approval purposes) has no analogues in the world practice. In accordance with the Russian legislation, the ICRM has got accreditation to perform RM testing for the type approval purposes in 2015. In 2013 – 2017 the Institute developed and certified 7 CRM sets of steel and 3 CRM sets of cast iron for spectral analysis (solids), and 46 CRM for chemical analysis (in dispersed form), including carbon and alloyed steel, cast iron, ferroalloys, ore and concentrates, metallurgical slags.

certified reference materials, standard samples, materials of ferrous metallurgy, approval of standard samples, control of chemical composition

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2. Federal law of 26.06.2008 N 102-FZ «On ensuring the uniformity of measurements» [in Russian].

3. Federal law of 28.12.2013 N 412-FZ «About accreditation in the national accreditation system» [in Russian].

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6. The role of government and business to ensure the unity of measurements / Kontr. Kach. Prod. 2016. N 1. P. 6 – 12 [in Russian].

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8. Stepanovskikh V. V., Kolpakova Ye. K., Komina I. G. Participation of Tasting Analytical Centre of the Institute for Certified Reference Materials in the developments of European Community CRMs / Standart. Obraztsy. 2012. N 4. P. 39 – 44 [in Russian].