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The safety issue has been raised with regards to potential molten metal detachments from the weld pool and cold filler wire during electron beam welding in space. This investigation was undertaken to evaluate if molten metal could detach and come in contact with astronauts and burn through the fabric of the astronauts' Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) during electron beam welding in space. Molten metal detachments from either the weld/cut substrate or weld wire could present harm to a astronaut if the detachment was to burn through the fabric of the EMU. Theoretical models were developed to predict the possibility and size of the molten metal detachment hazards during the electron beam welding exercises at Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The primary molten metal detachment concerns were those cases of molten metal separation from the metal surface due to metal cutting, weld pool splashing, entrainment and release of molten metal due to filler wire snap-out from the weld puddle, and molten metal accumulation and release from the end of the weld wire. Some possible ways of obtaining molten metal drop detachments would include an impulse force, or bump, to the weld sample, cut surface, or filler wire. Theoretical models were developed for these detachment concerns from principles of impact and kinetic energies, surface tension, drop geometry, surface energies, and particle dynamics. The surface tension represents the force opposing the liquid metal drop from detaching whereas the weight of the liquid metal droplet represents a force that is tending to detach the molten metal drop. Theoretical calculations have indicated that only a small amount of energy is required to detach a liquid metal drop; however, much of the energy of an impact is absorbed in the sample or weld plate before it reaches the metal drop on the cut edge or surface. The tendency for detachment is directly proportional to the weld pool radius and metal density and inversely proportional to the surface tension of the liquid metal. For a detachment the initial kinetic energy of the weld pool with respect to the plate has to exceed the energy to form the extra surface required for the detachment of the pool. The difficulty is in transferring the energy from the point of impact through the plate and sample to the cut edge. It is likely that not all of the kinetic energy is available for detaching the pool; some may be sequestered in weld pool oscillations. The coefficient of restitution for the collision will be lower than one if irreversible deformation, for example plastic flow deformation, takes place during the collision. Thus determining the amount of energy from an impact that actually reaches the molten metal droplet is critical. Various molten metal detachment scenarios were tested experimentally in an enclosed vacuum chamber using the Ukrainian Universal Hand Tool, an electron beam welder designed for space welding. The experimental testing was performed in a 4 ft. X 4 ft. vacuum chamber at Marshall Space Flight Center, evacuated to vacuum levels of at least 50 microTorr, and also some welding garment material was utilized to observe the effect of the molten metal detachments on the material. A "carillon" apparatus consisting of four pendulum hammer strikers, each weighing approximately 3.65 lbs, raised to predetermined specific heights was used to apply an impact force to the weld sample/plate during electron beam welding and cutting exercises. The strikers were released by switching on an electric motor to rotate a pin holding wires retaining the strikers at desired heights. The specimens were suspended so as to be free to respond to the blows with a sudden velocity increment. The specimens were mounted on a hinged plate for minimizing effective mass with the option to fasten it down so as to raise its effective mass closer to that anticipated for an actual space welding scenario. Measurements were made of the impact energy and the horizontal fling distances of the detached metal drops. It was not particularly easy to generate the detachments for this experiment. This document presents the details of the theoretical modeling effort and a summary of the experimental effort to measure molten metal drop detachments from terrestrial electron beam welding in the enclosed vacuum chamber. The results of the experimental effort have shown that molten metal detachments can occur from the sample/weld plate only if a sufficiently large impact force is applied to the weld plate. A "weld pool detachment parameter" was determined to indicate whether detachment would occur. Detachment can be either full or partial (dripping), Partial detachment means that the weld pool detached from one side of the liquid-solid boundary so as to leave a hole at the puddle site but remained attached over part of the liquid-solid boundary and dripped down the plate with no fully detached material detected. Full detachment, however, does not necessarily mean that the whole pool fully detached; in some cases only a smaller portion of the pool detached, the remainder dripping down the plate. The weld pool detachment parameter according to theory and according to the empirical data allows a determination of whether full detachments might occur. Theoretical calculations indicated titanium alloy would be the most difficult from which to detach molten metal droplets followed by stainless steel and then by aluminum. The experimental results were for the most part consistent with the theoretical analysis and predictions. The above theory is applicable to other situations as desired for assessing the potential for molten metal detachments.
Introduction: Metal-rich achondrites include a variety of types, and likely have a variety of origins. Models range from gravitational mixing at the core-mantle boundaries of differentatiated asteroids, to complex impact mixing scenarios. We describe a new type of metal-rich achondrite that might be the first metal-rich ureilite. Sample: Tin-Essako (TE) 001 (~4.3 g) was found in Mali in 2020 and purchased by Jay Piatek in 2021. It was classified as a metal-rich ungrouped achondrite, with olivine and oxygen isotope (d18O=8.2810‰, d17O=3.718‰, avg. 3) compositions suggesting affinity to ureilites [1]. We studied one polished section (~187.7 mm2) of TE 001. Petrography: TE 001 consists of ~60% metal and 40% silicates, heterogeneously distributed. The metal is largely fresh, but iron oxides (presumably terrestrial) occur along one edge and in some patches and veins in the interior. The silicates are dominantly olivine (≥90%), with melt-textured areas of plagioclase + Si-rich glass. Minor phases include chromite and carbon. Olivine occurs as rounded grains (up to ~2.5 mm) in metal, commonly with rims of melt-textured plagioclase + glass. Olivine also occurs in more massive areas having a “honeycomb” texture, with rounded olivine “cells” surrounded by an interstitial network of reduced olivine riddled with tiny metal grains, plus melt-textured plagioclase + Si-rich glass. Chromite occurs as subhedral to rounded grains; smaller grains (30-250 mm) are included in olivine and a few larger grains (400-500 mm) are isolated within metal. A carbon phase occurs as lacy-textured rims around olivine grains in metal, or small patches within metal. Mineral Compositions: The olivine (excluding interstitial areas) is Fo 73.9±0.5, with 0.25±0.02 wt.% CaO, 0.31±0.01 wt% Cr2O3, 0.01 wt.% NiO, and molar Fe/Mn=49.8±2.2 (53 analyses). Olivine in interstitial areas has Fo up to at least 91. Smaller chromite grains have Fe# (molar Fe/[Fe+Mg]) = 0.54±0.01, Cr# (molar Cr/[Cr+Al]) = 0.52±0.01, 0.52±0.02 wt.% V2O3 and 0.21±0.04 wt% ZnO (28 analyses). One larger grain is zoned from Fe# = 0.45, Cr# =0.52 to Fe# = 0.40, Cr# =0.57, and contains thin Al-rich lamellae not resolved by EMPA. One irregularly shaped patch of chromite included in olivine has Fe# =0.26 and contains no ZnO. Plagioclase laths are An ~53-60, with ≤0.01 wt.% K2O. Glass contains 75-76 wt% SiO2 and ~16 wt% Al2O3. The metal contains 5.2±0.2 wt% Ni, 0.46±0.02 wt.% Co, and 0.01±0.01 wt.% Cr, with Si and P below detection (168 analyses). Discussion: The olivine + chromite assemblage in TE 001 is similar to the most ferroan ureilites (Fo ~75-79 [2]), as are the oxygen isotopes [1]. The presence of a carbon phase supports this, although the identity of this phase (graphite as in ureilites?) remains to be determined. The “honeycomb” textured areas, in particular, the presence of olivine “reduction rims,” resemble shock-smelted olivine areas in ureilites [3], but interstitial melt-textured plagioclase laths + glass like those in TE 001 have not been reported in such (or any) ureilites. Olivine in TE 001 is marginally more ferroan than in the most FeO-rich ureilite, with Fe-Mg-Mn composition offset from the trend of olivine + low-Ca pyroxene ureilites similar to augite-bearing ureilites [4]. CaO and Cr2O3 contents are in the range of those in ureilite olivine [ ] , though Cr2O3 is at the extreme low end of the range [5]. Chromites (except the unusual one) have similar Fe# to the most ferroan primary chromites in ureilites [2], but distinctly lower Cr# (0.52 vs. 0.71). Metal compositions are with the range for metal in ureilites [7]. The absence of pyroxene and sulfide, and the high abundance of metal in TE 001, are unlike ureilites. One possibility is that a ferroan, chromite-bearing, pyroxene-poor ureilite was invaded (possibly due to impact) by a metallic liquid (low S content suggests very high temperature), resulting in complete melting of pyroxene and smelting of olivine, with rapid recrystallization of melted silicate as plagioclase + glass. Alternatively, a pre-existing metal-rich ureilite assemblage may have been impact melted. Additional types of data will be obtained to evaluate these hypotheses (i.e., is the metal indigenous?) and assess affinity to ureilites.
When a clean metal is brought into contact with a clean, harder ceramic in ultrahigh vacuum, strong bonds form between the two materials. The interfacial bond strength between the metal and ceramic surfaces in sliding contact is generally greater than the cohesive bond strength in the metal. Thus, fracture of the cohesive bonds in the metal results when shearing occurs. These strong interfacial bonds and the shearing fracture in the metal are the main causes of the observed wear behavior and the transfer of the metal to the ceramic. In the literature, the surface energy (bond energy) per unit area of the metal is shown to be related to the degree of interfacial bond strength per unit area. Because the two materials of a metal-ceramic couple have markedly different ductilities, contact can cause considerable plastic deformation of the softer metal. It is the ductility of the metal, then, that determines the real area of contact. In general, the less ductile the metal, the smaller the real area of contact. The coefficient of friction for clean surfaces of metal-ceramic couples correlates with the metals total surface energy in the real area of contact gamma A (which is the product of the surface energy per unit area of the metal gamma and the real area of contact (A)). The coefficient of friction increases as gamma A increases. Furthermore, gamma A is associated with the wear and transfer of the metal at the metal-ceramic interface: the higher the value of gamma A, the greater the wear and transfer of the metal.
Combustion of metals has been widely studied in the past, primarily because of their high oxidation enthalpies. A general understanding of metal combustion has been developed based on the recognition of the existence of both vapor-phase and surface reactions and involvement of the reaction products in the ensuing heterogeneous combustion. However, distinct features often observed in metal particle combustion, such as brightness oscillations and jumps (spearpoints), disruptive burning, and non-symmetric flames are not currently understood. Recent metal combustion experiments using uniform high-temperature metal droplets produced by a novel micro-arc technique have indicated that oxygen dissolves in the interior of burning particles of certain metals and that the subsequent transformations of the metal-oxygen solutions into stoichiometric oxides are accompanied with sufficient heat release to cause observed brightness and temperature jumps. Similar oxygen dissolution has been observed in recent experiments on bulk iron combustion but has not been associated with such dramatic effects. This research addresses heterogeneous metal droplet combustion, specifically focusing on oxygen penetration into the burning metal droplets, and its influence on the metal combustion rate, temperature history, and disruptive burning. A unique feature of the experimental approach is the combination of the microgravity environment with a novel micro-arc Generator of Monodispersed Metal Droplets (GEMMED), ensuring repeatable formation and ignition of uniform metal droplets with controllable initial temperature and velocity. The droplet initial temperatures can be adjusted within a wide range from just above the metal melting point, which provides means to ignite droplets instantly upon entering an oxygen containing environment. Initial droplet velocity will be set equal to zero allowing one to organize metal combustion microgravity experiments in a fashion similar to usual microgravity liquid fuel droplet combustion studies. In addition, the internal compositions of rapidly quenched metal particles will be analyzed using SEM technique. Such compositions are similar to those existing during the combustion and provide new insight on metal combustion processes. The results of this experimental work will be used to model the fundamental mechanisms of metal combustion. Preliminary experimental results on Al and Zr particle combustion at normal gravity are discussed here.
In 1997, the United States [NASA] and the Paton Electric Welding Institute are scheduled to cooperate in a flight demonstration on the U.S. Space Shuttle to demonstrate the feasibility of welding in space for a possible repair option for the International Space Station Alpha. This endeavor, known as the International Space Welding Experiment (ISWE), will involve astronauts performing various welding exercises such as brazing, cutting, welding, and coating using an electron beam space welding system that was developed by the E.O. Paton Electric Welding Institute (PWI), Kiev Ukraine. This electron beam welding system known as the "Universal Weld System" consists of hand tools capable of brazing, cutting, autogeneous welding, and coating using an 8 kV (8000 volts) electron beam. The electron beam hand tools have also been developed by the Paton Welding Institute with greater capabilities than the original hand tool, including filler wire feeding, to be used with the Universal Weld System on the U.S. Space Shuttle Bay as part of ISWE. The hand tool(s) known as the Ukrainian Universal Hand [Electron Beam Welding] Tool (UHT) will be utilized for the ISWE Space Shuttle flight welding exercises to perform welding on various metal alloy samples. A total of 61 metal alloy samples, which include 304 stainless steel, Ti-6AI-4V, 2219 aluminum, and 5456 aluminum alloys, have been provided by NASA for the ISWE electron beam welding exercises using the UHT. These samples were chosen to replicate both the U.S. and Russian module materials. The ISWE requires extravehicular activity (EVA) of two astronauts to perform the space shuttle electron beam welding operations of the 61 alloy samples. This study was undertaken to determine if a hazard could exist with ISWE during the electron beam welding exercises in the Space Shuttle Bay using the Ukrainian Universal Weld System with the UHT. The safety issue has been raised with regard to molten metal detachments as a result of several possible causes such as welder procedural error, externally applied impulsive forces(s), filler wire entrainment and snap-out, cutting expulsion, and puddle expulsion. Molten metal detachment from either the weld/cut substrate or weld wire could present harm to a astronaut in the space environment it the detachment was ti burn through the fabric of the astronaut Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMC). In this paper an experimental test was performed in a 4 ft. x 4 ft. vacuum chamber at MSFC enabling protective garment to be exposed to the molten metal drop detachments to over 12 inches. The chamber was evacuated to vacuum levels of at least 1 x 10(exp -5) torr (50 micro-torr) during operation of the 1.0 kW Universal Hand Tool (UHT). The UHT was manually operated at the power mode appropriate for each material and thickness. The space suit protective welding garment, made of Teflon fabric (10 oz. per yard) with a plain weave, was placed on the floor of the vacuum chamber to catch the molten metal drop detachments. A pendulum release mechanism consisting of four hammers, each weighing approximately 3.65 lbs, was used to apply an impact forces to the weld sample/plate during both the electron beam welding and cutting exercises. Measurements were made of the horizontal fling distances of the detached molten metal drops. The volume of a molten metal drop can also be estimated from the size of the cut. Utilizing equations, calculations were made to determine chande in surafec area (Delat a(surface)) for 304 stainless steel for cutting based on measurements of metal drop sizes at the cut edges. For the cut sample of 304 stainless steel based on measurement of the drop size at the edge, Delta-a(surface) was determined to be 0.0054 2 in . Calculations have indicated only a small amount of energy is required to detach a liquid metal drop. For example, approximately only 0.000005 ft-lb of energy is necessary to detach a liquid metal steel drop based on the above theoretical analysis. However, some of the energy will be absorbed by the plate before it reaches the metal drop. Based on the theoretical calculations, it was determined that during a weld cutting exercise, the titanium alloy would be the most difficult to detach molten metal droplets followed by stainless steel and then by aluminum. The results of the experimental effort have shown that molten metal will detach if large enough of a hammer blow is applied to the weld sample plate during the full penetration welding and cutting exercises. However, no molten metal detachments occurred as a result of the filler wire snap-out tests from the weld puddle since it was too difficult to cause the metal to flick-out from the pool. Molten metal detachments, though not large in size, did result from the direct application of the electron beam on the end of the filler weld wire.
Graves Nunataks (GRA) 95209 has been hailed as the missing link of core formation processes in the acapulcoitelodranite parent asteroid because of the presence of a complex cm-scale metal vein network. Because the apparent liquid temperature of the metal vein (approximately 1500 C) is higher than inferred for the metamorphic grade of the meteorite, questions regarding the vein s original composition, temperature, and mechanism of emplacement have arisen. We have determined trace siderophile element compositions of metals in veins and surrounding matrix in an effort to clarify matters. We analyzed metals in GRA 95209 in a portion of thick metal vein and adjacent metal-rich (30-40 modal%), sulfide poor (less than 1%) matrix by EPMA and LA-ICP-MS for major and trace siderophile elements using methods described by [3]. We also examined metals from a metal-poor (approximately 15 modal%) and relatively sulfide-rich (2-5 modal%) region of the sample. Kamacite is the dominant metal phase in all portions of the sample. In comparison to matrix metal, vein metal contains more schreibersite and less tetrataenite, and is less commonly associated with Fe,Mn,Mg-bearing phosphates and graphite. Vein kamacite contains higher Co, P, and Cr and lower Cu and Ge. These minor variations aside, all metal types in GRA 95209 are fairly homogeneous in terms of their levels of enrichment of compatible siderophile elements (e.g. Pt, Ir, Os) relative to incompatible siderophile elements (e.g. As, Pd, Au), consistent with the loss of metal-sulfide partial melt that characterizes much of the clan. Whatever compositional differences between matrix and vein metal that may have originally existed, they have since largely co-equilibrated to similar restitic trace element compositions. We agree with [2] that metal veins, in their present state, do not represent a liquid composition. The original vein liquid was much more S-rich and emplaced at correspondingly lower liquid temperatures. Much of the Fe,Ni component solidified in cm scale conduits while S-rich melts were expelled and continued to migrate by percolation. The higher troilite content in metal poor regions of the sample results mostly from trapping of a small portion of these melts. The troilite is not remnant primary sulfide. Strong depletions of W, Mo, and especially Ga (greater than 50%, greater than 60%, and greater than 90% depletion, respectively) in metals of the metalpoor GRA 95209 lithology are localized at scales of 10-100 micrometers in the vicinity of graphite spherules. These depletions must have occurred below the temperatures at which cm-scale equilibration occurred, and future work will seek to determine their cause.
Screen printing using metal particle pastes, the current photovoltaic industry metallization standard, provides fast and reliable metal grids for silicon solar cells. Recently, metal complex or reactive metal inks are attracting research interest due to their significantly low cost and higher performance compared to traditional nanoparticle silver pastes. In this work, we demonstrate, for the first time, screen-printed high-efficiency silicon heterojunction solar cells metallized by silver metal complex inks on industrial G1-size (158.75 x 158.75 mm2) wafers. We demonstrate screen-printed Ag metal complex ink grid patterns with continuous fingers ~100-120 ..mu..m wide. The printed Ag grid is very thin (~1 ..mu..m), which is an order of magnitude thinner than the current ~20-30 ..mu..m fingers printed with low-temperature nanoparticle-based pastes. Double printing allows silicon heterojunction devices with efficiencies >20%. This is the highest efficiency so far, to our knowledge, of industrial solar cell precursors using this metallization technology. Simulation results suggested that increasing the thickness of the metal film does not significantly improve efficiency due to the dense, highly conductive films. So, a single print of ~1 ..mu..m finger would be enough to produce cells that perform similarly to a ~20 ..mu..m thick nanoparticle paste printed cells. Additionally, solar cells printed on G1 wafers with silver metal complex ink required more than 10 times less silver (~0.03 g) compared to those using silver/copper nanoparticle paste (~0.4 g of Ag). These results indicate that metal complex inks are a very promising replacement for silver nanoparticle pastes for industrial-scale metallization in an age of resource scarcity and high costs of noble metals.
For practical, economical, and sustainable human missions to the Moon, processing of lunar regolith and metal oxides is necessary for localized production of oxygen (O2) and metals that can be repurposed as rocket propellant, life support O2, and in-space manufactured parts. The primary candidates for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) regolith processing are carbothermic reductions and molten regolith electrolysis (MRE) which both produce oxygen and a reduced, deoxygenated metallic slag. A metal separation technique is still required to capture and purify metals from the deoxygenated slag for reuse in areas such as metallic part fabrication, structural or design frameworks, and metal catalyst production. The Marangoni Effect is best explained as mass transfer along an interface driven by surface tension gradients induced by temperature and concentration differences. Due to the temperature gradients, molten metal can be transported in this fashion to create thin films. This method can transport molten metal in the absence of gravity or mechanical motion and greatly increases the available surface area for a vacuum fractional separation process. In this study, a novel vacuum furnace induces the Marangoni Effect to fractionally decompose and separate valuable metals (e.g., aluminum) from thin films of molten metal via vacuum distillation. The proposed work will examine lunar regolith, metal-based recycling feedstocks, and metallic slags produced from the carbothermal reduction of regolith. Data and observations from this study could produce a simple yet effective method of refining lunar derived metals by taking advantage of the high vacuum environment present on the lunar surface.
As new advanced reactors gain popularity, there is an increasing interest in metallic fuel fabrication for fast reactors. While metallic fuels themselves are not a new idea, as many of the first reactors employed metallic fuels, new designs, compositions, and fabrication methods are appearing throughout the nuclear community. As the interest grows and facilities are constructed, both domestic and international safeguards will need to be heavily involved to support safeguards-by-design (SBD) measures from the start. This work compiles a review of historical and modern fuel types and fabrication methods, fabrication processes, safeguards gaps, and potential safeguards solutions. Metallic nuclear fuel types have been around for many decades and were included in some of the first reactors including the Experimental Breeder Reactor (EBR)-I and -II, the Fermi 1 reactor, the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR), and the Dounreay Fast Reactor (DFR). These reactors used various compositions including pure uranium (U) metal, U-zirconium (Zr) alloys, plutonium (Pu)-aluminum (Al) alloys, U-fissium (Fs) alloys, U-Pu-Zr alloys, and U-molybdenum (Mo) alloys [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]. These small alloying additions are included to improve the material properties of the pure U metal. The alpha-phase U (stable below 661C) suffers elongation in one direction causing grain boundary cracking and increasing creep rate due to irradiation growth, thermal cycling, and preferential crystal orientation. It is ideal to utilize the gamma-phase U (typically stable above 769C) by adding small amounts of alloying elements such as Zr or Mo to stabilize this phase down to room temperature [3]. Additionally, some research has been focused on U with transuranic (TRU) elements present, typically coming from the used fuel recycling process. Including these elements in fast reactor fuel can aid in the reduction of nuclear waste by burning minor long-lived actinides. However, the additions of TRU elements can cause concerns to arise when trying to fabrication or safeguard metallic fuels. A typical metallic fuel element is shown in Figure 1. Sodium is added into the cladding to create a thermal bond between the fuel slug and cladding wall. The fuel slug is then inserted and the end plug is welded on to the top of the fuel element. A gas plenum is left to create a headspace for gaseous fission products to escape rather than continue to build in the fuel itself [1, 5]. Other fuel element geometries exist as well, such as the Lightbridge twisted cruciform geometry shown in Figure 2 [6]. This design allows for better cooling performance and provides room for fuel rod swelling without impacting the fuel rod diameter. There are many different fabrication methods for metallic fuels, which is one of the many benefits of these fuel types. Many of these fabrication methods are relatively easy and cost-efficient. The most popular fabrication method is injection casting, sometimes called vacuum induction melting (VIM), shown in Figure 3 [4, 8, 9, 7, 10]. This method was largely used for EBR-II fuel fabrication. The injection casting system is contained inside of a vessel consisting of a Y2O3-coated graphite crucible surrounded by an induction coil with ZrO2-coated quartz molds suspended above the crucible. The fuel feedstock is placed inside of the graphite crucible and melted using the induction furnace. The induction furnace utilizes a dual frequency with the high frequency melting the feedstock and the low frequency causing stirring of the melted feedstock to form a homogeneous mixture. The mixture is heated to approximately 1600C in an argon environment. The vessel is evacuated and then the quartz molds are lowered into the graphite crucible containing the molten metal and the vessel is repressurized to inject the metal fuel upwards into the molds. The molds are removed and then shattered to release the fuel slugs. This fabrication method was used to fabricate 39,000 metallic fuel pins for EBR-II. While injection casting has been the most common metallic fuel fabrication method throughout the decades, many other methods have been explored including low-pressure gravity casting, microwave casting, continuous casting, centrifugal casting, coextrusion, and many others [11, 12, 8, 13, 14, 15]. Some of these methods aim to mitigate challenges that arise with americium (Am) volatilization during the casting process for TRU-containing fuel feedstocks, an issue with injection casting. Coextrusion is one of the methods explored at the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and has been utilized for the initial fabrication tests of Lightbridge's unique fuels, as well as other metallic fuels with cladding coextruded. In this process, large billets are formed and machined and then inserted into a molten salt bath for approximately 30 minutes. The billets are then loaded into the extrusion press and extruded. This process can be seen in Figure 4 [15].
Abstract Lithium‐metal batteries (LMB) employing cobalt‐free layered‐oxide cathodes are a sustainable path forward to achieving high energy densities, but these cathodes exhibit substantial transition‐metal dissolution during high‐voltage cycling. While transition‐metal crossover is recognized to disrupt solid‐electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation on graphite anodes, experimental evidence is necessary to demonstrate this for lithium‐metal anodes. In this work, advanced high‐resolution 3D chemical analysis is conducted with time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry (TOF‐SIMS) to establish spatial correlations between the transition metals and electrolyte decomposition products found on cycled lithium‐metal anodes. Insights into the localization of various chemistries linked to crucial processes that define LMB performance, such as lithium deposition, SEI growth, and transition‐metal deposition are deduced from a precise elemental and spatial analysis of the SEI. Heterogenous transition‐metal deposition is found to perpetuate both heterogeneous SEI growth and lithium deposition on lithium‐metal anodes. These correlations are confirmed across various lithium‐metal anodes that are cycled with different cobalt‐free cathodes and electrolytes. An advanced electrolyte that is stable to higher voltages is shown to minimize transition‐metal crossover and its effects on lithium‐metal anodes. Overall, these results highlight the importance of maintaining uniform SEI coverage on lithium‐metal anodes, which is disrupted by transition‐metal crossover during operation at high voltages.